Avatar: The Last Great Rock Band
by Everknight777
Summary: Modern, AU, Kataang. Katara and her family are moving to Denver, Colorado, and thanks to a certain bald teenager, they'll get the chance of a lifetime in the legendary city of music. CH 16 finally up!
1. Welcome to Denver

Avatar: The Last Great Rock Band

Clouds rolled by slowly as she looked out the window, knotting her eyebrows further with each progressive snore from her brother in the seat next to her.

_I wonder if he ever chokes…_

The whole plane ride from New York was dreadfully boring; Katara was forced to sit in her seat, a dead iPod laying on her lap, and an idiot brother Sokka making a most annoying soundtrack from the seat next to her.

Katara looked down at her dead music player and sighed, wishing that she'd remembered to recharge it before they left the apartment earlier that morning. She desperately longed to hear some soothing Sheryl Crow or Evanessence, but forgetting to charge your player before taking a 4 hour flight had some drawbacks.

Katara and her brother Sokka, along with their father Hakoda, were moving to Denver. Hakoda was offered a high paying job at some aerospace company in Colorado, so the decision was made to move to Denver 3 months prior, so the kids could spend their last summer in New York City with their friends and arrive at their new home with 5 days to spare before starting school.

It sucked.

Katara had lived in New York her whole life, and now she had to move to the dead center of the country, leaving her friends, school, neighbors and apartment behind. On top of that, they were moving to the most unpredictable state in the entire United States! She had some online buddies from Colorado and the one thing she heard from them more than anything was that the weather was so erratic there could be record snowfall one week and a drought the next! At least weather in New York was predictable; she had learned to deal with it her whole life.

This sucked.

At least there was one personal perk.

The next thing after weather that Colorado was famous for was the music. All of the greatest musicians and singers had played in venues all over Denver. And on top of them was the _coup de grace, _Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The greatest venue of them all, only the best music ever made it to the legendary natural Amphitheatre, and she wanted more than anything to go to a concert there.

She felt a slight drop in gravity and heard the _bing _of the "fasten seat belt" sign, and couldn't help but give a sad grin.

_Goodbye New York, hello Denver. _

* * *

"Hellooooooo Denver!"

An enthusiastic cry rang out over the crowds of the main terminal of Denver International Airport. A few scattered bits of applause sounded in the crowd, but most of the travelers simply walked by, turning their heads toward the ruckus sounding from the small stage set up by the railing.

A single boy sat on a stool. Well, not really a boy, he seemed to be about sixteen, with a tall but spindly figure obvious even while sitting down. He had with him a Yamaha acoustic guitar with a sunburst design resting on his thigh and a small lemur excitedly running around his feet. He was dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and yellow t-shirt with the name "Beatles" and a submarine printed on the front. He had a white beanie hat on his head and the biggest pair of eyes you've ever seen gleaming eagerly as he spoke.

"My name is Aang, and against the better wishes of the airport, I'm gonna play you a few songs while you're waiting around! Tips aren't required, but appreciated, since I'm flat broke and need gas money to get back home!"

There were some weak laughs at his sad attempt of a joke, but he was a musician, not a comedian!

He then dove into his first song, "Good Riddance" by Green Day. He wasn't particularly fond of the band and their recent image, but their old songs were some of the best he knew.

His fingers flew across the fret board, seamlessly moving between the chords. The soft acoustic rang out around him, gathering more spectators toward the stage.

As he reached the end, he couldn't help but feel joyous. He loved the guitar. Loved the sound, the shape, the feel, and loved to play it. Ever since he first picked one out for his tenth birthday, it was his life. And what's more, he was good at it.

Just as he was starting "More Than Just Words" by Extreme, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to find a rather large and annoyed looking security guard looming behind him.

"…Well, this can't be good."

* * *

Katara and her family were at the baggage claim, waiting for Sokka's Luggage to come out of the turnstile.

"Awwww, come on! What's taking so long!?" Sokka yelled at the large machine.

"Maybe if you yell at it louder, it'll hear you and speed up!" Katara Quipped as she unzipped her bag to check on the contents.

Sokka mumbled something about airport staff and stinkbugs before slumping to the floor, staring intently at the machine with a twitching eye.

Katara turned back to her bag to find her extra iPod Battery, but looked back up when she heard a commotion at the other end of the baggage claim.

A squad of security guards was tromping down the hallway connecting the terminal to the baggage claim, chasing a boy gripping an acoustic guitar and a small Marsupial.

Odd.

And even odder, he was running right towards her.

She stood up, gripping the bag to her chest. As the boy was passing her, he grabbed the handle of her baggage, lifted it out of her arms, and spun around, flinging the suitcase at the security guards.

The suitcase, which was only partially open, then opened all the way, covering the security guards in her various jeans, shirts, skirts, socks…

And _underwear_!

Katara watched in horror as her wardrobe fell on the surprised guards as the boy ran away out the doors and onto a waiting bus.

Katara turned to see the boy hanging out the door of the bus, waving a hand goodbye at the guards. "Better luck next time!" hey yelled. Then, he looked straight at Katara, "Thanks, and by the way, Nice Panties!"

Katara's face contorted in rage and a brief blush as the bus pulled away. Then screamed out the doors: "You Jerk!"


	2. Closer than you think

Chapter 2

Katara didn't say a word as Hakoda drove down the highway in the Colorado twilight. Sokka was sitting nervously in the front seat. He could practically _taste_ the hatred radiating from the backseat.

"Katara, let it go, its not like-"

"I HAVE LET IT GO!"

dead silence enveloped the family, even the rental car seemed to pick up the hint and became quieter.

Their dad then spoke up. "Katara, your brother is right, its not like you're ever going to see that kid again anyway. Enjoy the sunset, we're starting our new life today."

Katara sighed and stared out at the blazing sun on the mountains. _They're right, our new life starts tomorrow. I can't let a stupid kid like him ruin my new life._

She plugged in the extra power pack for her player and pushed the headphones into her ears, letting soft music flow through her mind.

_Just as long as I never see that kid again.

* * *

_

_I hope I see that girl again, she was pretty cute._

Aang lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, Momo munching on some nuts nearby. He was going over what had happened at the airport, wondering what went wrong. He should've at least got through three songs before security did anything.

_Well, no accounting for variables…or uptight guards._

"Aang! Dinner is ready!"

Aang sat up when he heard his guardian calling from downstairs, kicking his shoes into a pile of smelly clothes; he tiptoed his way around various sheets of music, guitar parts, and CD's. He ran out the hallway, jumped down the stairs, and bounded into the kitchen. The heavenly scent of take-out Chinese hovered in the air.

Aang's, guardian, Gyatso, was an elderly Chinese man who was a friend of Aang's Parents before they died. He had taken care of Aang since he was five. He was technically Aangs legal guardian, but they acted like best friends more than father and son.

"Aang, I know I'm pretty laid back, but please take off your hat while we eat."

Aang sighed and pulled his beanie off his head, revealing the blue arrow tattoo that ran across the top of his shaved head and down the back of his shirt.

Gyatso sat down at the table and folded his hands in front of his plate. "I still don't understand why you had me get you a tattoo for your birthday instead of a new guitar."

Aang sat and folded his hands in the same way. "I already have three good guitars, I don't need another one. Besides, all great rockers have an image. I just wanted an image that stands out…and reminds me of my parents…"

Aang's parents were monks, part of the same order that Gyatso was from. For his sixteenth birthday, he had the tattoo inked after he read about the Air Nomad tradition of maturity to adulthood. Members in the ancient order would tattoo arrows on the head, hands and feet to symbolize commitment to the monk hood. Aang begged Gyatso to let him get them so he could remember his parents.

"It's not like the schools gonna mind, they let us wear hats."

Gyatso shrugged and reached for his utensils. Just as he was about to dig into his noodles, the doorbell rang.

"Hm. I wonder who it is…" Gyatso mumbled as he made his way to the door. He opened it and a tall, dark skinned man with blue eyes greeted Gyatso.

"Hello there, my name is Hakoda; I'm your new neighbor."

"Hello, I am Gyatso, head of the neighborhood association." Gyatso shook Hakoda's hand.

"Yes, well, we seem to be having a problem. My son" he jerked a thumb towards the car parked in the driveway. "Misplaced the house key, and your name was on the form for spares."

"Ah, yes, that's right. Please, come in." Gyatso stepped aside and ushered their new neighbor inside. "Just a moment, the spare keys for the residents are just upstairs."

Gyatso left for the second floor, leaving Hakoda standing in the foyer. The sounds of somebody slurping noodles in the dining room stopped suddenly and Aang got up to entertain their guest while Gyatso retrieved the key.

"Hi there, my name's Aang, I live here with Gyatso." The young boy said, extending his hand.

"Hakoda, It's a pleasure to meet you."the tall Man said, grasping Aangs hand firmly.

"So, where did you move from?"

"My children and I just got in from New York today, I must say, I didn't expect the air to be so thin."

Aang chuckled. "Well, you get used to it. In my opinion it's the best place in the world to live."

"It seems to be a wonderful place…" Hakoda trailed off and couldn't help but stare at Aang's shaved head. "Very interesting tattoo you have there."

Aang smirked and rubbed his head nervously. "Yeah, they're traditional markings of maturity from the ancient culture of the Air Nomads. But in all honesty, its just a trademark look for when I become a professional guitarist."

Hakoda raised an eyebrow at this "Guitarist…?"

"Found them!"

Aang and Hakoda turned their heads to the stairs and found Gyatso jangling a set of keys as he descended the staircase.

"Excellent!" Hakoda exclaimed. "Thank you very much."

"No problem at all, I'm happy that I was able to assist."

"Well, we need to go and get settled in, so stop by sometime and I'll be happy to make dinner for you."

"We would like that."

Hakoda turned the knob on the door and stepped outside. "Goodnight then."

"Good night!" Aang and Gyatso said, in perfect synch, then shut the door.

* * *

Hakoda climbed back in the car and turned to his children smiling. "We seem to have some nice neighbors."

Katara smiled back. "That's good; we won't have to worry about making friends in the neighborhood."

Hakoda then addressed Sokka. "Along with the homeowner, there is a boy about your age who lives there as well. He said that he plays the guitar."

Sokka lit up at this. "Really?! That's awesome! Ill finally have somebody to practice with."

Hakoda was happy for his son, the boy didn't have enough friends as it was back in New York, so having somebody who shared his passion would be good for him.

Hakoda started up the car and pulled into the driveway next to Gyatso's house. The family grabbed their luggage and proceeded up the steps to the front door.

"Here it is." Their father said, inserting the key and twisting the knob.

The house was dark on the inside, but some ambient light from the kitchen showed that the movers had brought all of their belongings and furniture inside and stacked the appropriate boxes in the rooms.

"We'll tackle this mess tomorrow. Katara, your room is upstairs to the right, at the end of the hallway. Sokka, yours is to the left."

The two children bid their father goodnight and bounded up the stairs, heading to their bedrooms.

Sokka burst in, took a brief inventory of his things, and plopped on the bare mattress for some not so well deserved rest.

Katara, being the neat-freak that she was, had to set up her bed, put away her clothes, assemble her vanity, and retrieve her sheets from a box before satisfied that the room was inhabitable.

Throwing her pajamas onto the bed, she was about to change when she heard an electric guitar playing. She knew it couldn't be Sokka; he would go out like a light after that plane ride (despite sleeping most of the way). She tuned her ears and found that it was coming from outside her window.

She walked over and lifted the window up. _Definitely from out here. _She looked across the side yard and saw that her room faced the house of the old man they got the key from. A light was on in the upstairs room.

_Didn't dad say there was a boy who played guitar there too?_

Katara strained her eyes to see into the illuminated room, and saw that the walls were covered in posters of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, The Beatles and some bands she had never even heard of.

_I think Sokka plays that music too…_Sokka really hit the mark when he said he would finally have somebody to play with.

She rested her head on her hands as the guitar slowed down and played along with Dream On by Aerosmith, one of her favorite songs of all time. Whoever was playing it was playing as good as Joe Perry. Maybe even better!

She switched off the light and crawled into bed, letting the soothing emotion of the song serenade her to sleep.


	3. Indignation

Hi guys, just a few words from the author here. Thanks for the reviews, its good to know that this is a worthwhile idea. Any review is welcome, just no flames (They serve no real purpose). I have to make a few commendments to inspiration though. Geddy lee, for the story Always with me, Always with you in the Zelda section, your story got me thinking about the rock band theme in the first place. And the characters from Avatar, for being so flexible in any situation (no sexual innuendos please).

I do not own Avatar.

* * *

Chapter 3

Aang sat up and stretched his legs out on his bed, sticking his feet out from underneath the covers. He groaned loudly and literally rolled off the bed and into his closet. A few minutes, some random bangs inside the closet, and some painful grunts later, Aang emerged wearing his black Rise Against concert t-shirt, some faded blue jeans, and some black New Balance sneakers. Traversing the distance from the closet to the door and grabbing a black Beanie from its resting place on a lampshade, he made his way to the kitchen.

Not having enough time to eat a proper meal, Aang grabbed some fruit and a cola from the fridge, and then headed out the door.

The automatic garage door was currently broken, so Aang pushed a key into the door and lifted the handle, sending the door crashing backwards. The sunlight hit the paint of his white 1970 Camaro. Right after his music, his car was the thing he loved most in the world. It had an all white finish when he got it, but after he got his tattoos, he had a friend do matching detailing, so there was a medium brown arrow pointing forward on the top that ran all the way to the back bumper. He nicknamed it "Appa" after a roman genius who made the first aqueduct. He chose this because the guy he bought it from actually found it after it was pushed out of a drainage duct by storm water a few years ago. He repainted and refurbished it, then practically gave it to Aang! He loved the car; it had such a colorful history.

He swung the door open and fell into the seat. Pulling the door closed as he started the engine and tuned the radio to some good old' Rock n' Roll.

"Lets get to work Appa." He gleefully exclaimed as he revved the motor.

* * *

Katara was awoken by the sound of a rather loud engine and squealing tires. She shot out of bed and got to the window just as the car sped out of sight. 

_Must've been our neighbor…_

She yawned and trudged into the hallway, and immediately into the bathroom. She quickly stripped and stepped into the shower, brushing the knob to full heat.

The momentary burst of cold from the water in the pipes shocked her further to consciousness, and then the warm water soothed her into bliss. She reached gingerly out from behind the curtain and pulled her soap, shampoo, conditioner and loofah from a cardboard box labeled "Upstairs Bath" and began to clean the stink of airline from her body.

After several minutes of scrubbing and lathering (rinsing and repeating), Katara shut off the water and stepped out in front of the mirror.

Even though her hair was long, it was smooth throughout and voluminous. It was only a few shades darker than her skin, which was an exotic brown. The native in her blood was strong, since both her parents lived on reservations growing up. She was average sized, only about 5'6", but had good, sexy curves and a strong athletic tone from years of playing soccer.

She pulled her bathrobe out of the box and put it on, then exited the bathroom. Her brother immediately proceeded inside, his hand on his groin a sure sign that his bladder was having an early morning emergency.

Katara Giggled and stepped into her room. Twenty minutes later, she emerged with her hair dried and pulled into a ponytail, with a few hairs left framing her face. She was wearing a tight white polo shirt with the buttons down, a pair of hip-hugger jeans that were studded down the length of the legs with fake blue jewels, and a pair of baby blue socks.

Sokka exited the bathroom, waving a match around his face.

"Sokka, that's gross!" Katara squealed, pinching her nose.

"I can't help it sis…blame the human body."

She stomped past him and made her way down the stairs, her father was standing by the door, ready to leave, holding Katara's Navy blue coat.

"Since we don't have any food yet, I thought you might want to go to the IHOP."

"Sure dad!" Katara said as she donned her coat, then pulled her white sneakers on. "Sokka, get ready, we're going to breakfast!"

"Be right down Katara, need to find some clean clothes!" Sokka yelled from his room.

Two minutes later, Sokka emerged wearing a white hoodie with the word "STYX" printed on the front in large letters, black jeans, and some brown boots.

"Let's go then get some pancakes!" he said, holding the door open,

The family exited the house, Sokka pulling the door shut behind him.

* * *

Aang sighed and picked a magazine out of the rack by the counter. There was an article this month about Joe Satriani that he had already read, but the store was empty of anything else to do at the moment. 

Aang got his job at the music store a few months before school ended, and had held it all summer. It was a small CD store in a run down part of the urbs, but he was good friends with the owner's son, and Aang wouldn't be able to stand having a job with nothing to do with music.

Tired of the article, returned the magazine and made his way over to the stand that displayed one of the few guitars that the store sold, A glossy black Ibanez Arondite, From the new X-series. He pulled it over behind the counter and plugged it into the Amp next to the stool. He kicked his feet up onto the counter and started into some Ramones, then a little Iron Maiden. Soon, he was completely lost and just let the music flow through his fingertips. He didn't even notice when the door to the store opened.

* * *

Katara and Sokka exited the IHOP with smiles plastered on their faces. There was no better place to get a Denver Omlette than in Denver. 

"That was sooooo tasty!" Sokka sighed contentedly.

Hakoda turned to his children. "I need to go and pick up some things at the grocery, why don't you kids go and explore the neighborhood. Just meet back here in an hour alright?"

"Okay daddy." Katara said to her father, waving as he got in the car and drove down the street to the store.

Sokka immediately started looking around. He was anxious to find a music store nearby. They lived close enough to this area that he could get to know the owners and maybe even get a worthwhile job. Katara looked around for a clothing store.

"There's one!" Sokka exclaimed, pointing at a small CD store across the street.

"Great, that's all I need Sokka, for you to be playing more of your music at full blast all night. Don't you have enough CD's?

Sokka slung an arm around Katara's shoulders and sighed. "Katara, for an aspiring musician, there aren't enough CD's in the world…"

Sokka then bolted across the street, leaving Katara chuckling to herself. Sokka had taken up the guitar 2 years ago, and practiced 3 hours a day, every day, and became a respectable guitarist. He hadn't made much progress in the past few months though; none of his friends back in New York played anything, so he didn't have any practice in group dynamics.

She shrugged and crossed the street, spotting a thrift store hidden behind the CD store, and went in to have a look around.

* * *

Sokka entered the store and was immediately greeted by the sound of shredding guitar. It wasn't any song that he recognized, but it sounded so perfect and fluid, it could be a professional! 

He found that the source was the clerk. The kid seemed to be about sixteen or seventeen. He had his feet propped up on the counter and was playing riffs off of a guitar cradled in his lap. He had his eyes closed and his face turned toward the ceiling, almost like he was napping.

Sokka walked slowly toward the counter, a look of awe plastered on his face. It was some of the best guitar he had ever heard. The technique was so varied he could play almost anything. There was some smooth jazz, a hint of hip hop, and the best Rock n' Roll he had ever heard.

For at least five minutes, Sokka stood at the counter admiring the music, then found his voice.

"That was amazing!" he yelled over the roar of the amp.

Aang cracked open an eye and finished his riff with a long G. "Thanks."

"Where did you learn to play like that?"

Aang set the guitar across the counter and slapped on a silly grin. "I've been playing since I was eight, almost every day for as long as I can stay awake."

"You're amazing! I couldn't even dream of being that good!"

"You play?" Aang lifted the guitar and offered it. "Show me."

Sokka took a step backward. "Nah, I couldn't…"

Aang shoved it into his hands. "C'mon, just play."

Sokka gingerly took the Guitar and put the strap over his head. Then took a pick from a jar on the counter and began. Sokka knew a lot of rock, starting with Highway to Hell by AC/DC, then into Meant to Live by Switchfoot, and then into the pride of his repertoire, his heavy metal version of Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple.

As he hit the last notes, Aang let out a low whistle. "I've never heard Smoke on the Water played like that before."

"I kinda added the extra parts myself."

"Well, it sounded awesome! The way you hit the solo…man, I never thought of trying it like that."

Sokka handed the guitar back over the counter. "Thanks, that's the most praise I've ever gotten on my guitar. I just moved in from New York yesterday, didn't have many friends who could give real advice or anything."

"New York? Wait a minute…" Aang leaned in close to stare at Sokka's face. "You look like that guy who was at my house last night!"

"Yeah! That's my dad!" Sokka's eyes widened suddenly. "Oh! I never introduced myself, I'm Sokka."

The sound of the shop door opening interrupted him. Katara came in carrying an armful of bags from the thrift store. She almost got all the way inside but tripped on the doorjam. She stumbled a few yards toward the counter before toppling over.

As the bags flew into Sokka's arms, Aang dashed out from behind the counter and caught Katara before she fell into a rack of CD's.

Katara had shut her eyes as she fell, so she didn't see who saved her from hitting the display.

"You Alright?" her savior asked.

She opened her eyes and found herself staring into a pair of strangely familiar gray eyes.

Katara screamed and pushed herself out of Aang's arms, staring incredulously.

"You!"

* * *

Yeah, I know, bad cliffhanger. Don't hate me for it. Please r&r 


	4. Down in the badlands

Chapter 4

"Dammit Katara! Just let it go, you said you were over it!"

"My exact words were 'As long as I never see that kid again, I'll be fine', and I saw him again. So I'M NOT FINE!"

Katara was brooding in the backseat. Sokka sighed and wondered what the hell happened back at the store.

_"You!"_

_"Me!" Aang exclaimed, then rubbed his chin confusedly "…Wait, do I know you?"_

_Katara stepped forward and slapped Aang across the face. "How can you forget throwing somebody's underwear at a squad of airport security!?"_

_A wide grin spread across Aangs face as he rubbed the cheek where Katara slapped him. "Oh yeah, I remember, you're the girl with the cute underwear!"_

_At this, even Sokka's eyes widened in amazement of Aang's boldness. He was walking on thin ice as it was, and the water below was deeper than he knew._

_Katara blushed a deep red and furrowed her brow, then dashed over to the counter and grabbed the Ibanez that rested on the glass by the neck._

_"You asshole!"_

_Aang's face fell immediately. _Uh-oh…

_He ducked as Katara swung the guitar at his head and jumped aside when it came back around. He immediately wished he hadn't, the guitar sailed past the spot where he stood and crashed into a rack of CD's, knocking them off the supports, and knocked it over, spilling CD's everywhere._

_But the madness wasn't near over yet. The rack that Katara hit toppled into the one behind it, which also fell, creating a domino effect that hit all five racks in the row, spilling CD's all over the floor._

_Everyone froze and just stared, Sokka was the first to recover his senses and ripped the guitar out of Katara's hands, inspecting it for damage._

_"What was than noise?!" came a voice from the backroom._

_Aang's face changed from shock to panic. "The Manager!" Aang acted immediately. He took the guitar from Sokka and placed it on the pile of CD racks. Then picked up the bags and shoved them into Sokka's arms._

_He whispered, "Run." Before shouting. "You Punks! Look what you did!"_

_Aang shoved them out the door and shooed them away gently. "Get Back here!" he yelled past them, winking before shutting the door._

_Sokka and Katara then ran back across the street, where their father was waiting for them to head back to their house._

Thankful to be out of trouble, Sokka gave up on trying calming his sister down and thought back to the awesome riffs that the kid from the shop was playing. He realized that he never caught his name. Based on the conversation before, the kid had met his their dad last night.

"Dad, what was the name of that kid you talked to last night at the neighbors house?"

Hakoda thought for a moment. "I think it was…Aang. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Sokka replied simply, then went back to replaying the riffs in his head.

* * *

Aang collapsed in his car and let loose an exhausted sigh. After the incident earlier in the day, he had to spend the rest of his shift picking up CD's. His explanation to the manager portrayed Katara and Sokka as a couple of deranged music pirates with tattoos and ninja swords hell-bent on making the pirated music into an internet superpower and destroying the music industry as we know it! So Aang grabbed the guitar and valiantly saved the music in an epic battle of biblical proportions! 

The Manager bought it and left Aang to clean up.

He was starting up the car when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out and grinned when he saw the name on the screen.

"Hey dude!" Aang screamed into the phone.

"Jeez, do you HAVE to scream into the phone?"

"Sorry, just excited, I met a pretty awesome guitarist today. And get this, he just moved here from New York and lives right next to me!"

"Seriously? That's great! I just called to tell you that my vacation is gonna last a bit longer than expected, we're getting back on Sunday instead of Friday."

"Awww, why?"

"Something to do with a cheaper flight. Don't worry; I'll be all good for school."

"Cool. Just don't get rusty okay?"

"Kay, seeya then."

"Bye." Aang snapped the phone shut and stuffed it back in his pocket, then started his car. As he pulled into the street, he couldn't help but hum Smoke on the Water with the added chords that Sokka played. He finished humming it, and strangely found himself thinking of Sokka's sister, and the compromising position they were in when she tripped into the store. She was really cute, and smelled like flowers, he remembered how soft the skin on the back of her neck was…

…and almost drifted to the other side of the road.

When he righted himself in the lane again, Aang steeled himself and focused on the road.

* * *

Katara entered her room and collapsed on the bed. Her dad and Sokka were finishing the dishes after a delicious meal of stewed sea prunes. She turned on the clock radio: _8:31_. She turned the radio on and found a good station, then set about setting up her rooms decorations. She had only a few posters and a collection of glass figurines given to her by her mother. 

As she set the figurines about her room, she sang quietly along with Kelly Clarkson's Because of You, she always sang softly since her voice wasn't so good, even though her brother always said it was good. Her mom was a beautiful singer; and Katara's dad always said they sounded alike.

The song on the radio ended and changed to Nickelback's This Is How You Remind Me, and began to sing a little louder. She didn't like rock music very much normally, but the ones she did like got her heart going. And even though she tried not to, she sang a bit louder.

She had just finished setting up the figurines when the door opened a crack

"Are you decent?" she heard Sokka ask.

"Yeah." She replied, turning off the radio.

Sokka opened the door the rest of the way and stepped in." Were you singing again?"

Katara looked down at her feet and hooked her thumbs in her belt loops. "Yeah…was I too loud again?"

Sokka sighed and leaned against the wall. "Katara, I've always told you that you have a great voice, you should sing louder, not quieter."

"Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about what happened at the store earlier."

Katara sat on the bed and stared at the floor. Sokka sat next to her.

"I can't even imagine how you feel, seeing that guy again. But there's something important you need to know. He lives here, in this neighborhood."

Katara's jaw dropped and she stared at her brother.

"What!?"

Sokka scratched the back of his head "Actually, he lives right next door. His name is Aang."

Her head swung to the window and then back to her brother. "WHAT!?!"

He raised his hand and Katara clamped her mouth shut. "Now, I know you don't like him, but I heard him play today at the store, and I played for him right after. He's amazing Katara! And he said that I'm really good too! I really want to get to know him better, but I won't unless you say its okay too, I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Katara sighed and rubbed her temples. She was really upset with that stupid kid. But her brother was way more important than some stupid grudge. He didn't have many friends back in New York, and she knew he really wanted to turn over a new leaf.

"Alright, I'll try…"

Sokka leaned over and gave his sister a big hug. "Thanks Katara."

"No problem Sokka." She pulled away. "So he plays guitar? I guess I heard him last night, while I was going to bed. He was playing Dream On."

"Isn't it good?" Sokka pressed.

"Just as good, if not better than Aerosmith."

"Okay then, goodnight Katara.

"Night, Sokka."

Sokka left the room and gently closed the door. Katara changed into her pajamas and tuned the radio again. And with a final glance at the Window, she grunted and rolled over.

_Aang huh?

* * *

_

I originally planned to put in a new character in this chapter, but it wasn't working. I think there'll be a new chapter up in a day or two. Please R&R


	5. Narrow mind, Narrow sight

Chapter 5

The week leading up to school went relatively normal. Katara and her family unpacked all their things and they got into a normal routine. Sokka began practicing again, but ended up at their neighbor's house more often than their own. Aang had a good effect on Sokka; he became steadily more confident in his playing. He even became less sarcastic! It was all thanks to Aang.

But just because Aang was helping Sokka, didn't mean that Katara had to like him.

The day after Sokka came and spoke with her, Sokka invited Aang over to meet her and their father formally. Their father had an appointment regarding work, so he only spoke briefly with Aang then left.

This was the first time that the two had met under calm circumstances, but even if the situation was calm, the tension in the room was almost visible.

"Nice to meet you…Katara" Aang said shakily. The memory of her wrecking the store was still fresh in his mind, and he didn't want to end up like the rack of CD's.

"Hello…Aang was it?" she said, extending a hand.

Aang took her hand and shook it gently. Sokka smiled and exclaimed, "I'll get some sodas!"

When Sokka left for the kitchen, Katara pulled Aang in close and growled into his ear. "I'll only tolerate you as long as you're friends with my brother. Don't think that I haven't forgotten what you did at the airport."

Aang chuckled and replied. "The way I see it, you actually owe me for making that mess at the store."

Katara was taken aback by the reply. "…I will get you back…" she swore.

Sokka then re-entered. "Here, dad got some Pepsi!"

Katara smiled graciously and took a soda. "Thanks Sokka." She said, and then went upstairs.

Aang and Sokka followed, Sokka led the way to his room and entered, eager to show Aang some more of his music.

Aang looked back over his shoulder and saw Katara holding the door handle, frowning at him.

It was then that Aang did the most unexpected thing: he blushed!

Katara hadn't known Aang for very long, but he seemed to be the kind of person that could brush off any situation by doing or saying something stupid. The LAST thing she expected from him was to get embarrassed!

She entered her room and pushed her back into the door to close it. She smiled and actually blushed a bit herself.

_What was with that guy?_

So, other than that brief exchange, Katara hadn't spoken to Aang all week. Her father came back a bit late on Saturday, with both of their schedules for school. This was the thing that Katara dreaded the most about the move: Making new friends at school. All her friends back in New York, she had known since grade school, and they were always best friends. Katara didn't have much experience making new friends, so she was a bit nervous.

When Monday rolled around, the sun was bright and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Birds were chirping, people were smiling…

…And Katara was running late.

She was so obsessed with picking out an appropriate outfit the night before, she forgot to set her alarm and woke up with 30 minutes till her first class! It was only thanks to her brother that she got up with enough time to take a shower and still get a bit of breakfast.

The two left the house in clean attire. Katara was wearing her white Docs and dark blue hip hugger jeans. Her t-shirt had an image of a butterfly in sparkling glitter across her chest. Over her shirt she wore a denim jacket with short sleeves and more jeweled patterns. She had her hair done up in a "Princess" fashion, with her bangs pulled to the back of her head and secured with a clip. Sokka wore a sleeveless blue shirt (Even though he had almost no muscle) with "Fender" printed on the front, baggy black jeans secured with a black leather belt. He had his head shaved on the sides and a short ponytail off the back of his head. His pair of black sneakers completed the outfit.

They were outside, backpacks in hand, searching for the bus, when they heard a door slam off to the right. Aang exited his house, wearing a black long sleeve t-shirt with AC/DC on the back and faded blue jeans. A black beanie covered his head. It then occurred to both of them that Aang always wore long sleeves, long pants and a hat, despite how warm it was. He had a brown leather backpack slung over one shoulder and a set of keys in the other.

"If you guys are waiting for the bus, it left ten minutes ago." He said, opening the garage door. "Want a ride?"

They both nodded and jogged over to the garage. A beautiful Camaro sat in the garage. Aang sat in the driver seat and started the engine. It roared to life and revved to warm up.

"Hop in, just throw your bags in back!" Aang yelled over the noise of the engine.

Sokka and Katara got in, Sokka in shotgun, Katara sitting behind Aang. They pulled out into the driveway, Aang got back out to close the door, and soon, they were off on the ten minute ride to school.

"Man, this car is awesome!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Yeah, and I got it for practically nothing. The custom paint was actually more expensive than the whole car."

Aang and Sokka went on talking about the car and Katara sat in back, staring out the window. When the two stopped talking, Katara looked forward and saw an inch thick blue stripe running from his hat under his shirt.

"Is that a tattoo?" she asked

Aang glanced back and grinned. "Yep, wanna see?"

He pulled off his hat and revealed the blue arrow that ran from his forehead and down his back. Katara let out an amazed gasp and Sokka's eyes widened.

"It runs all the way down my back, and on my arms and legs too." He said, rolling up a sleeve to reveal another blue arrow.

"Wow…did it hurt?" Sokka asked.

"Like hell, but it was worth it!"

"Why?" Katara asked, leaning in between the seats.

"My parents were descended from Air Nomads, and this was something that the monks did to kids when they turned sixteen, so I asked Gyatso to let me get it for my birthday."

Aang put the beanie back on and rounded another turn, then smiled mischievously. "We're here. Time to make a grand entrance!"

The school was a large brick building built on a hill. The track and parking lot were right next to the main entrance for students. After entering the lot, Aang revved the engine and flew across the lot, pushing Sokka and Katara into their seats. He burned rubber and slammed the horn, parting the thin crowd of students and speeding past in a blur.

Then, Aang slammed the brakes and hit a hard left. Pulling to reverse, the car spun and stopped perfectly in a spot right by the entrance. There was cheering and whooping from the small crowd of students as Aang engaged the parking break and switched off the engine.

"Welcome to John Denver High School." Aang said to the siblings.

* * *

Katara parted ways with her brother and Aang to go to her first class. When she asked Aang about his little stunt when they arrived, he said that when he first arrived last year, he lost control and spun out in the lot, and hit it in the exact same spot perfectly. So from then on, when he got to school every day, he spun out into that exact spot, every day. Just a little tradition of his.

Her first class was sophomore English, her teacher was a staunch old man named Mr. Pakku. From what Aang told her after he saw her schedule, he was one of the meanest teachers in the school.

She took a seat near the middle of the room and stared at her desk. The class was full of friends grouped together, catching up with each other about summer vacation. The bell rang and the students all took their seats. The teacher strode in carrying a coat and bag.

"Alright everybody, calm down." He said, putting his things on the desk at the front of the room. He was a balding man with long gray hair and a spiky moustache with a patch of hair that barely passed for a beard.

"Okay, welcome back everyone, this is sophomore English, and I am Mr. Pakku. I recognize a lot of you from last year, but I think we have two new students this year…Katara? Toph?"

Katara stood up and greeted the teacher. "I'm Katara."

Mr. Pakku nodded. "Welcome to John Denver, Katara. Now…Toph?"

"Yes?"

The whole class turned to the door. A small girl with long black hair that covered her eyes, a baggy green t-shirt, and beige pants stood in the doorway.

"Well Miss Fong, nice of you to join us. Might I ask why you're late to your first class?"

Toph brushed some hair off her face to reveal her eyes, which were cloudy green and unfocused, and grunted. "Maybe that's because I _can't see_."

The class then turned back to the teacher, who was loosening his tie uncomfortably.

"Ah, well, yes…I see…oh…um, yes." He stumbled over his words and cleared his throat. "Please take a seat over on the other side of the room by Katara."

Toph nodded and walked intently down the row of desks to the table where Katara was seated. Katara moved her bag and shifted over a seat to allow Toph to sit.

"Well, lets start by…" Mr. Pakku began to pass out papers, then Katara leaned over and whispered to Toph.

"Are you really blind?"

Toph twitched. "Yeah. Why?"

"Well, you didn't even ask where I was, so I wondered how you got over here without asking."

Toph shrugged. "I just heard you introduce yourself when I was in the hall, so I knew where you were."

"But what about the desks?"

"I can sorta feel where they are through the ground, you know, vibrations and stuff."

"That's amazing!"

Toph smiled and extended her hand. "Toph Bei Fong, just call me Toph."

Katara took the hand and shook it. "Katara, very nice to meet you."

And with that, Denver got a little better for Katara.

* * *

And there you have it, Toph has made her grand entrance and made Pakku look like a tool! Expect another addition in the next chapter to complete the main cast! R&R 


	6. And the beat goes on

Chapter 6

Aang and Sokka said goodbye to Katara and headed to their History class. Sokka seemed a little tense with being in a completely new school. Luckily they had their first class together, so Aang could introduce him to his buddies.

They entered the room and Aang was immediately headlocked.

"You asswipe! I get back and you don't even call me or drop by!?"

Aang's face turned red. "C-can't…breathe…"

Aangs attacker let go and backed off, running a hand through his short brown hair. He was a tall kid, about six feet. He wore a red t-shirt with a large flaming yin-yang on the front and a pair of baggy blue jeans. He looked like a pretty normal kid.

Except for the large burn scar over his left eye.

"Aang recovered and grinned at the tall teenager. "Sorry, Zuko, I was real busy."

The boy called Zuko sighed and shook his head. "In other words, you forgot. I swear, if you were any more absent minded…" he trailed off when he noticed Sokka. "Who's this?"

Aang grinned and took Sokka's arm, pulling him closer. "This is Sokka, the one I told you about. Sokka, this is Zuko, my best bud."

The two shook hands. Zuko cracked an amused smile. "Nice to meet you, I hear you play a pretty mean guitar."

Sokka rubbed his neck nervously. "Well, I'm okay…"

Zuko chuckled. "No need to be modest. For Aang to praise you then you must be above 'okay'. I know that from personal experience. The only reason we met was because he heard me trying out a bass guitar in a store once and practically broke my arm shaking my hand and praising me."

"You play Bass?" Sokka inquired.

"Yeah, I was in the orchestra on cello and double bass when I was a kid."

Sokka turned to Aang and smirked. "Sounds like you've got the makings of a band here."

Aang just laughed. "Maybe…"

Then the bell rang, Zuko gestured at some seats he had saved and Aang and Sokka sat down. The teacher walked in and stumbled over the doorway. Miss Wu was an eccentric old lady, all her students loved her. She fancied herself a psychic, apparently she gave a prediction for students every year as a joke.

"Hello class, I am Miss Wu, but you can call me Aunt Wu. This is Junior History, welcome." She said with a smile, then gave a speech about her powers and called her students up front for their "reading" (really, it was a way to take attendance).

"Aang?" she called over the room.

"Here." He said, standing up and walking to the front.

Miss Wu took his palm and traced some lines. "Oh my, this will be a great year for you. I see great success, fame and happiness…" her brow furrowed. "Also pain, tragedy and loss." She dropped his hand and smiled to his face. "And love."

There were various oohs and aahs from kids throughout the room as Aang walked back to his seat. Sokka and Zuko were grinning like idiots.

"Sokka?" Miss Wu called.

Sokka stood up and walked forward. There were scattered whispers from the class at seeing a new student. Approving grunts from the guys, and exasperated whispers from the girls.

Miss Wu took a single look at Sokka and frowned bleakly. "Your future is full of struggle and anguish, most of it self inflicted."

"Aww c'mon, you can do better than that" Sokka whined, making the class burst out in laughter.

Miss Wu shrugged and took his palm. "I see a lifelong dream realized. But be warned, there is betrayal and pain. You walk a razors edge between success and tragedy."

The whole class seemed to hold its breath waiting for Sokka's response.

Sokka glanced over each shoulder and said "Well, I guess I'm gonna need new shoes!"

The whole class was stunned and thought in unison: _What a lame sense of humor!_

"Y'know, cause I'm walking on a…razor…"

Sokka flushed with embarrassment and began walking back to his seat, but tripped on a girls backpack and fell into her.

The class immediately broke out in laughter.

Sokka recovered and mouthed a silent apology to the girl and took his seat.

Zuko leaned forward and whispered to Aang. "He better be a good guitar player, because there's not much left of an image after that."

Aang just chuckled and stretched his arms.

"Suki?" Miss Wu called.

"Here." The girl Sokka ran into called back, standing.

Sokka sat huddled in his chair and looked up to see the girl named Suki staring at him, and then turn to Miss Wu for her reading.

He looked back down at his hands and blushed.

* * *

Lunchtime rolled around and the cafeteria was in an uproar. Not over anything in particular, just normal first day chatter. Aang, Zuko and Sokka were sitting at a booth and talking excitedly. 

"Smoke on the water? And you added to it?" Zuko asked Sokka.

Aang interjected. "Yeah! And it sounds awesome!"

Sokka laughed nervously and looked around a bit. He saw Katara sitting at a table a ways away from the rest of the crowd with another girl.

"Looks like Katara is making friends already."

Aang looked over to catch a glimpse of Katara sitting with a new girl he didn't recognize.

"Be right back." Aang said to Sokka and Zuko, then got up and strode over to Katara.

"Hey." He said, sitting down next to Katara.

"Hey Aang." She said dryly.

"How's your classes?"

"You were right about Mr. Pakku, he's really stingy."

Aang leaned forward to look at the girl next to Katara. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Toph, she's new here too."

"Hi Toph." Aang said cheerily, then put on a confused face. "How old are you?"

she seemed annoyed at the question. "Thirteen, my parents say that I'm a genius or something."

"Cool, I think you'll enjoy our school. Its better than most other schools around. Just watch out for the jocks, they might look good, but they're all jerks."

Toph cocked her head to the side and grinned. "Thanks, I'll make sure not to judge anyone on looks!" she said in a sarcastic preppy voice.

Aang was genuinely confused, then Katara leaned over and whispered. "She's blind."

Aang immediately understood. "Well, just ask me if you need anything okay?" he offered with a brilliant smile on his face.

_That smile…_Katara's heart fluttered. She managed to squeeze out an affirmative grunt and a nod as Aang got up and walked back to his table.

Toph smirked and punched Katara in the shoulder. "You liiiike him."

"I do not!" Katara whispered.

"Ya know how I said I can feel stuff going on around me? I could hear your heartbeat just now, you want him like a dog in heat!"

Katara sat awestruck at Toph. "Uh…I'm gonna go get some food…"

Katara left a grinning Toph at the table.

_You just don't know that he feels the same way.

* * *

_

The final bell rang and Katara and Toph were sitting in the bleachers, watching the band practice. Toph recommended it as a good place to study and relax, since she heard their marching band was pretty good.

Today though, there was a drummer who kept messing up.

"You're playing too softly twinkle-toes!" Toph yelled out at the band.

"Shush Toph, they're practicing." Katara pleaded to her friend.

"No amount of practice can help THAT idiot!"

Katara was about to start arguing when she heard a familiar car engine behind them. She turned to see Aang in his Camaro pull up behind the bleachers. "Hey Katara, are you getting a ride?" Sokka called out from the passenger window.

Katara was about to respond when Toph snapped.

"ARGH!! YOU IDIOT, GET IT RIGHT!!"

Toph jumped down from the bleachers and strode over to the drummer boy. She snatched the snare drum from his hands and picked up the sticks. "Like this!"

It was like a thunderstorm. Toph hit the drum so fast and so strongly you could feel it from the bleachers. Aang, Sokka and Zuko all got out of the car to listen, a stunned look on each of their faces. Even Katara, who wasn't experienced in anything to do with a marching band, knew that Toph was a prodigy.

After a full minute of beating the drum in perfect rhythm, Toph struck the final beats then shoved the snare back into the kids hands and threw the sticks at his feet. "THAT'S how you do it!" she yelled, then walked back to the bleachers.

By now, Aang, Sokka, Zuko and Katara were all standing on the grass, jaws practically touching the ground.

Toph stopped in front of them and crossed her arms "What?"

* * *

And there you have it! Zuko has made his grand entrance and Toph completes the picture! Next chapter will be a lot of talking, so please bear with me. R&R! 


	7. Past secrets, freedom

Chapter 7

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't do music."

"But you're incredible!"

"Not doing it."

"But-"

Toph turned and jabbed Aang heavily in the stomach. "Listen Fancy Dancer! I don't want to play any instrument okay?! I have advanced placement classes and homework to worry about, and I don't have time to run around banging drums in some little band!"

With that, Toph slung her backpack over her shoulder, walked promptly into a waiting car, and sped off.

Aang, Zuko, Sokka and Katara stood in the parking lot staring after Toph, still in awe of what they had witnessed.

* * *

Katara sat at her vanity, brushing her hair. After Aang brought them back home, he just parked and went inside, looking really depressed.

She sighed and set down her brush. Something really hit Aang hard when Toph turned him down. What was it?

_And why do I care so much?_

She was about to start heading to bed, then she heard a soft guitar playing outside. She could only guess that it was Aang.

Grabbing her robe for warmth, she tiptoed out of her room, down the stairs, and out the front door. She snuck around the side of the house and peeked around the corner of Aangs fence. He was sitting in the yard, playing a song that seemed to have no beginning or end. With all sorts of style flowing in and out.

She walked forward and stood behind him for a few minutes, just listening to him play. Then got her courage up to speak.

"Hey Aang…"

Aang abruptly stopped playing and turned around. His gaze softened when he realized it was Katara.

"Hi Katara." He said, standing up. "What are you doing here?"

_I honestly don't know, myself…_

"I heard you playing from my room, and…well…wanted to come out and listen. What was that music you were playing? It didn't sound like anything I've ever heard."

Aang scratched his head nervously as he replied. "Well, sometimes when I'm by myself, I sorta slip into my own world and play anything that comes to mind. Gyatso saw it once and told me it was almost like I was glowing."

"Weird…"

"Well, I'm kind of a weird guy…"

They stood in silence for a moment.

"Aang?"

"Yeah?"

"Why were you so depressed when Toph turned you down?"

"…Well, its kind of a long story…"

Katara sat down on his porch and patted the space next to her. "I've got time."

Aang smiled slightly and sat down next to her, resting the guitar on the wall.

"…When I started playing guitar, all I thought about was becoming a famous musician. I absolutely loved it…and so did my parents."

"They supported me fully. Whenever I got mad about learning a chord, or cried when a string broke, they helped out. Buying me what I needed, calming me down, even teaching me some tricks they knew!"

His face fell. "Then they died. There was a plane crash. Nobody survived."

Katara's heart tightened up, and a few tears fell from her eyes.

"After they died, I committed myself fully to learning how to play. Took lessons wherever I could, talking to local bands…" He grinned. "I can't count how many times Gyatso yelled at me for playing too late."

"It was then that I met Zuko, he was playing the bass line to a chili peppers song called Parallel Universe. Its one of the hardest songs in the world to play the bass to! We immediately became best friends, and decided that we would make a band. It seemed that I could finally honor my parents, starting with Zuko, I finally had a band mate."

"Then you and your brother moved in, and it was like another sign. Sokka really is a great player; he's got a good sense of rhythm, perfect for rhythm guitar. It felt like the time I found Zuko."

"Well, today when I heard Toph playing that snare drum, I got the same feeling…she's really a genius at percussion! And when she turned me away, it kinda hit me hard. I guess keeping my ambitions bottled up set me up for a fall…or maybe its not supposed to be her."

When Aang finished talking, Katara stood up and wiped some stray tears away.

"Y'know, when I first met you, at the airport, I knew that you had to be a pretty bold person to scream 'Nice Underwear!' at the whole airport. The second time we met, when you…uh…saved us from your manager, I knew that you were smart enough to reach your goals. And just today…" she turned to face him and smiled sweetly. "I found out that you have passion and heart. So don't give up on Toph, you'll convince her."

Aang was only able to stare at Katara. In only a week of knowing him, did she really manage to figure him out that much? She was a really amazing girl, he realized. For some reason, whenever she spoke, he believed everything she said.

And it made his heart skip.

Grinning, he stood up and pulled her into a light hug "Thanks Katara. I really needed to hear that."

He then pulled away and rubbed his arms. "I forgot how cold it gets here at night, we better get to bed." He grabbed his guitar and turned to his back door, then looked over his shoulder at Katara again. "Thanks again, Goodnight."

"Goodnight Aang…" she said, then Aang closed the door and disappeared inside.

She made her way back into her house, up into her room, and into bed.

As she pulled the covers around her, she couldn't help but think that Aang smelled _really_ good when he hugged her.

* * *

The next day, at around lunchtime, Katara and Toph were sitting at the same table from the other day.

"So why won't you even consider Aang's offer?"

Toph took a swig of her coke and burped. "I'm already in this advanced placement program, I just don't have time for anything else. Besides, I have no interest in playing the drums."

Katara sighed and got up to throw away her lunch trash. Just as she dropped her trash in the barrel, she spotted Aang, Zuko and Sokka striding over to Toph. When she returned to her table, Toph was getting annoyed.

"I'll say it one more time: No!"

"But you're the only one good enough!"

"Do you want me to get physical?"

The group of friends left the table, and then Katara sat down across the table from Toph.

"What's the big deal with anyway? There were loads of honors and A.P kids at my old school who did band, clubs, and even sports!"

Toph sighed and turned her head. "It's not even that…my parents baby me like no other since I'm blind. They think that all I can do is schoolwork. I really do want to do other things, but they would never allow it…"

They finished their lunch in silence. Afterwards, Katara ran up to Aang and whispered an in his ear. He just grinned.

"Leave it to me!"

* * *

After school, Katara was dragging Toph down the hallways towards the music room.

"Katara! Where the heck are you taking me?!"

"I have something to show you."

When they stepped into the room, the first thing they noticed was that most of the equipment had been pushed aside, a single set of drums was set up with cords running from each drum into a speaker system. Aang, Zuko and Sokka were all standing in front of the set, their guitars and amps set up behind them.

"Toph," Aang said, stepping forward. "Do you know what Rock and Roll really is?"

Toph remained rooted to where she stood.

"Rock is, at its innermost core, the ultimate expression of freedom. All those years ago, when you had to choose between classical, jazz, and gospel, Rock was created to give voice and expression to whoever wanted it. Elvis Presley, Johnny cash, The Beatles, they all wanted one thing: Freedom."

Toph seemed taken aback by this. She turned slightly to Katara then back to Aang.

"Katara told me about your parents. It astounds me that a mother and father would so restrict their kid like that."

He looked briefly at Katara and smiled warmly. "It's not supposed to work that way."

"You have a great gift, Toph. And I'll be damned if you don't use it."

Toph stood for a moment, then walked slowly to the drum set. She sat, taking the sticks and tapping them lightly over the taut drums.

She grinned. "Freedom…"

Tapping out a rhythm, she played steadily louder and louder, the amplified vibrations pumping out of the speakers overhead. Zuko counted down, and then jumped in with a steady bass line, matching the beat of the drums perfectly. Sokka took Zuko's lead and began plucking strings along with the rhythm.

Aang grinned, closed his eyes, and turned his head up to the ceiling. He could swear he saw his parents smiling back as he began playing.

Katara stood in awe at the ragtag group. Each of them played strong, steady, and perfectly as if they were one unit.

_Your parents would be proud…_She thought to Aang.

_And so am I…

* * *

_

Hooray! The band is made! This chapter went through many revisions, so I really need feedback on it. R&R!


	8. Feelings of sound

Chapter 8

The weekend after the start of school was the start of their homecoming week. The celebration kicked off with a football game(no pun intended) on the weekend and festivities all throughout the next week. Pep rallies, class wars, and LOTS of entertainment.

For Aang and his friends, the weekend meant the start of their band practices.

Zuko had a set of drums he got from a shop, for whenever they got their drummer, in his garage. Since his parents never used the garage, it was as good a place as any to set up for practice. It was a clear, crisp Saturday when Zuko brought down his Fender American Series Bass Guitar, bass amp, and music notes. Aang and Sokka brought over their own gear. Aang had a sunburst Andy Timmons signature Ibanez, and Sokka had a glossy black Washburn Maya. Aang also brought over his acoustic, just in case.

As they all set up, Toph's mom pulled up at Sokka's house. Katara came out to greet her. Since Toph's parents didn't want her doing anything but schoolwork, Katara had the idea of inviting Toph to the homecoming game and to "Sleep over" for Saturday night. It was a perfect cover for band practice!

When the car was out of sight, Katara and Toph crossed over to Zuko's house and greeted the newfound band mates.

"Where's my drums!?" Toph yelled out as she entered the garage.

"Right over here." Zuko replied, patting the bass drum with his hand.

Toph made her way over to the set and took a seat. "Are you ready?"

"Hang on a second Toph, we have to set up the power system." Sokka replied, plugging his amp into a power socket.

"Yeah, we need some added power." Zuko added, fine-tuning his bass.

"Ready?" Aang said when everybody was testing their sound.

"Ready." Sokka grinned.

"Yep." Zuko said, taking position.

"Let's do this!" Toph yelled, hitting the sticks together. "One, two, three, four!"

Katara smiled and watched from the sidelines as the band began their first practice.

Three hours later, the band was on their last nerves. They had a kicking Bassist, a Drum goddess, a reliable rhythm guitar, and a lead guitar with ability rivaling the greatest guitar masters of all time.

But none of them could sing.

"Dammit twinkle-toes! Why did you think you could have a great rock band without being able to sing!?"

"I can sing!" Aang defended.

"Your voice still cracks." Sokka said dryly.

"So does yours." Zuko quipped non-chalantly.

"You can't even hit a single high note!" Sokka shot back. Zuko shrugged and said nothing.

"Well…" Aang sighed, removing his guitar strap. "That's enough for today anyway. I can write lyrics, so all we need is somebody to sing them."

Sokka glanced at his sister. He knew that she could sing. _Better than anyone I know…_

He shook the thought from his head. His sister just didn't have the confidence to sing. Even _he _only ever heard her sing quietly.

They all set down their instruments and exited the garage.

"Well, now what?" Sokka asked to nobody in particular.

Aang rubbed his chin, and then snapped his fingers. "There's a game going on later, but for now, let's go and get some lunch!"

* * *

The group sat at a table in Tokyo Joes. They finished their food nearly an hour ago, but the game didn't start for another hour, 30 minutes, so they just sat around telling jokes for a while.

"So, wait, it was stuck in a drainpipe!?"

"Yep, I really just paid for new upholstery and paint. It was a steal!"

Aang had just finished telling the story of his car. It was so absurd that even Zuko, who had heard it countless times before, couldn't help but chuckle.

It was then that Sokka really noticed Zuko's scar. "Zuko, I've been meaning to ask you, how did you get that scar?"

He touched the burn lightly and leaned back in his chair. "It happened when I was real little, two or three. My dad…my real dad…got drunk and took a…blowtorch to my eye. After that, my mom took me and my sister away and we settled down here in Denver. "

Katara put her hand to her mouth. "That's so horrible."

He chuckled. "I guess I have to thank my dad, if he hadn't burned me, I wouldn't have learned bass. My mom re-married a few years after we got here, to this kooky guy named Iroh. He was a jazz bassist way back when, and he taught me everything I know."

Katara then noticed her drink was running low. "I'm gonna go for a refill."

Aang looked at his watch. "Alright, we'll be outside. It's almost time for the game and we wanna get there early to get good seats."

"Kay, be right there."

She went over to the machine, and the rest of the gang headed outside. While she was filling her cup, she felt somebody put a hand on her waist.

"Hey there babe." A guy's voice said uncomfortably close to her ear.

She turned and saw a tall guy a bit older than her with shaggy brown hair. He had a piece of straw in his teeth and was grinning dangerously.

"Name's Jet, I couldn't help but notice that you…" his grin broadened. "are the sexiest thing in this restaurant. Want to come and hang with me and my crew for a bit."

"Umm, no thanks." Katara said, brushing past the creepy guy.

"Hey, come on." He grabbed her arm. "Don't be so stiff."

"Let go of me!" Katara said, raising her voice a little.

Jet just laughed and pulled her closer. "C'mon, I don't bite…unless you're into that sort of thing."

"Let go!" Katara screamed.

As Jet continued to laugh, Katara struggled. They had attracted the attention of the whole establishment. Katara managed to get a hand free and slapped Jet hard across the face.

"You bitch!" he yelled angrily, raising his own hand.

It never made contact. As Jet brought his hand down, another hand with a blue arrow on the back grabbed it.

"Let her go." Aang said coldly through clenched teeth.

"Who're you?" Jet asked, annoyed.

"I'm her boyfriend, and believe me, I've kicked guys much tougher than you to the curb over her."

_Oh my god…he said he's my boyfriend!...Wait, why do I care?_

Jet eyed Aang evilly and let Katara go. He whistled and left the restaurant with his two companions.

Aang stared out the door at them for a moment before turning back to Katara. "Are you O.K?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." She said nervously. "Thanks"

"My pleasure. I can't stand guys like him. You ready?"

Katara nodded and walked to the door. Aang jumped ahead of her and held the door open.

_And he's a gentleman too!...Again, why do I care so much?_

The rest of the gang were waiting by Aang's car, ready to head over to the stadium. Katara found herself sitting behind Aang, unable to calm herself down.

_I can't be falling for him…can I?

* * *

_

They managed to get good "seats" for the game. The crowd of students was so excited, they were standing up for the majority of the time. Not that they minded, it made the game that much better.

Even Toph, who hated crowds, managed to entertain herself by screaming plays out over the roar of students to the opposing team in an attempt to confuse them.

Surprisingly, it worked.

Sokka and Zuko managed to have a good time hitting on some of the girls. Sokka found that Suki girl he fell on from the first day of school, and Zuko was shyly flirting with one of his sister's friends, Mai.

This left Aang and Katara together, snacking on popcorn and sipping soda. Katara seemed to be a bit quieter than usual, which was strange. She was usually so outward and cheerful; it was a very strange change of events.

Aang was sipping on a soda when he heard some kids next to him talking excitedly.

"C'mon Haru, next time we score a touchdown, just lean over and kiss Yue! It works like a charm, that's how I got Ty Lee last year!"

"I dunno Han, you sure?"

"Positive!"

Aang turned back to the game, but couldn't help but glance at Katara. _What if…_

He shook his head of the crazy thought. Sokka was one of his best friends! If Aang hooked up with Katara, he was sure that he would see a side of Sokka that didn't come out very often…a very dangerous side!

"Aang, look! We're about to score!"

He peeked his head over the crowd and saw that they were, indeed, about to score. The running back had made a beautiful interception and was running down a clear path to the end zone.

The crowd was erupting with noise, even Toph couldn't scream over the crazy group of teenagers.

Aang looked over at Sokka, who was standing by that Suki chick, eyes glued to the game.

As the running back made it to the end zone, the noise level doubled and the students began jumping up and down. Katara caught Aang's eye and smiled brightly.

_…Oh, what the hell._

He smiled back at Katara and pulled her closer by her waist, she grabbed his shoulders and looked up with a look of confusion and embarrassment. Aang leaned down and gently touched his lips to hers.

_Have I… fallen for Katara?

* * *

_

_What is he doing?_

Katara stood in shock as Aang pressed harder onto her lips. She must have been imagining it, Aang couldn't have any interest in her…could he?

_…Oh, what the hell._

She closed her eyes and leaned into him more, sparks seemed to dance down her body. He was so much taller than her; she had to stand on her toes. His tongue began poking at her teeth, trying to get through. She opened her mouth to let him in…

Then he pulled away.

She blushed furiously and looked the other way, trying to control her breathing. Did that really just happen?

She peeked over her shoulder and saw Aang staring nervously at the field, blushing just as badly.

They stood in silence for the rest of the game, then headed back home. Toph set up a sleeping bag in Katara's room and bid her goodnight. Katara mumbled the same and wrapped her comforter around her body. It was only then that she let her excitement out. Squealing quietly, grinning like a fox, and butterflies in her stomach.

_Oh my god…Aang kissed me!

* * *

_

Oh yes, feel the fluff! R&R!


	9. Dare you to move

Sorry about the late update, a bunch of stuff came up with school and swimming, so I haven't had much time online. I had to make this chapter a bit shorter. Since this is a critical part of the story, i didn't want to screw it up.

* * *

Chapter 9

Aang woke up that morning and trudged to his bathroom. He took a quick shower and rubbed shaving cream on his head, carefully removing the short hair that was growing from his scalp and face. After he put on deodorant, he went back to his room and found some clean clothes.

As he pulled his shirt on, he heard a loud yell from his window. He smirked and thought _Sounds like somebody knows now…_

"He what!?"

Katara blushed furiously and averted her eyes. When she woke up that morning, she simply couldn't contain herself about what happened at the game last night, and blurted it out to Toph.

"I dunno, he just sorta leaned over and kissed me when the team scored…" Katara managed to mumble.

Toph slapped her forehead and sighed. "Well, I just hope you know what you're getting into, sweetness. All I can say is to be careful of what your brother might do."

Katara nodded and led Toph to the bathroom. When she got back to her room, she lay on the bed and stared at the window, touching her lips gently.

_Aang…_

Sunday passed by as normal for the band. They were loud, raw, and somewhat undisciplined. After an hour of practice, they were all exhausted, and Toph's mom was coming to pick her up soon.

Aang turned to his friends, smiled, and called it a day. They packed up their equipment and pushed the drums back further into the garage.

Toph left soon after that, and the rest of the group sat around, talking about the previous day.

"Man, that food yesterday was just…so…tasty." Sokka said.

"Yeah, well, I'll probably never go back to that particular one again." Aang added. "too many idiots go there."

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"After you, Toph, and Zuko went outside, some guy came up and started trying to grab Katara."

"WHAT!"

Aang flinched at Sokka's reaction. "It's alright, I was there to stop him."

Sokka blinked twice and patted Aang on the back. "Thanks bud, I'm usually the one that's there to help Katara, its nice to know that you've got her back."

Aang smiled and nodded. _Maybe Sokka will let me and Katara go out._

"Next creep who tries to get in with my sister, I'll make sure that he gets acquainted with my fist. Nobody touches Katara."

Aang gulped and laughed weakly. _Maybe not…

* * *

_

Katara sat in her room, singing softly with an Evanessence CD playing in her stereo. Katara didn't much like the woman's image, but her voice was phenomenal. Sokka said that Katara could sing her songs even better, but Katara knew that he was just saying that to be nice.

Nonetheless, singing made Katara feel good. Even though she was ridiculed for her voice in choir in middle school, she still sang in private, and there, where it was just Katara and her mother, she was a star.

Bring Me to Life began on the CD, and Katara smiled as she sang along. Gradually, she got louder and lost herself in the lyrics.

She didn't even notice when the door opened a crack.

* * *

Sokka was in a deep conversation with Zuko, explaining some rhythm chords and trying to come up with some bass to accompany it. Aang laid back rubbed his bald head, letting his mind wander back to his band problems. There were a few people at school who could sing. Maybe they could hold open auditions? 

It was then that Aang remembered that he left his hat in Sokka's room that morning.

"Hey Sokka, I left my hat in your room, can I go get it?"

"Sure, the door's unlocked" he said, then turned back to Zuko.

Aang stuffed his hands in his pockets and sauntered across the street, mumbling names of singers under his breath. He entered the house and padded quietly up the stairs. There was a soft flow of music coming from Katara's room. Evanessence, an appreciable singer. Katara seemed to like vocals more than instruments.

Aang found his hat right away on Sokka's bed. As he stepped onto the first step, he heard Katara's music change, some one was singing over the CD.

Aang tiptoed carefully over to her door and pressed an ear against the wood. It was the song Bring Me to Life, and somebody, whom he could only assume was Katara, was singing over the music…and _damn good_ to boot

_Katara can sing?_

He gently turned the knob and cracked the door open. It was, indeed, Katara. Standing in front of her dresser, eyes closed, singing with a voice like a gift from heaven. _Katara can sing!_

Comparing Katara and Evanessence, Katara had a much softer and natural voice, albeit, quiet. She sang soft and without any gusto, like she was trying to hide her voice.

Aang backed away and quietly left the house. When he got back to Zuko's garage, he spoke to Sokka.

"Sokka, did you know that your sister can sing like an angel?"

Sokka looked up at Aang blankly, and then frowned. "Yeah, I know. But she doesn't. she's convinced that her voice is terrible, no matter how many times I praise her." He crossed his arms. "I know what you're thinking. There is no way that she could even get the nerve to sing in the choir, let alone in a band. "

Aang leaned back and stared at the ceiling. Katara's voice was still echoing inside his head.


	10. Grief and something else

Yes, I realize that its been nearly two (maybe three) months since I updated, but as those of you who read my news post were told, alot of stuff has been happening. Well, I won't delay: Heres chapter ten!

* * *

Chapter 10

"Katara, have you seen my lucky pick?"

Katara groaned and turned away from her magazine, glaring at Sokka with dagger eyes. "I've told you before, I'll tell you again, KNOCK!"

Sokka ducked the fluffy pillow that was flying at his head and stepped inside. "Katara, its no big deal. You're my sister, its not like I haven't seen you walking around in your underwear before."

Pulling on a pair of sweatpants, Katara yawned and stretched out on her bed. "Some day today…how was practice?"

Sokka frowned and collapsed on the bed. "It's all going great, but all we have right now is our instruments, and no singer."

Katara brought her knees up to her chest and looked out the window. "Oh…"

"Katara, I don't know why you have this problem with your voice, but you have to face the fact that you really can sing."

Katara flushed and turned to Sokka. "I'm not going to sing for your band."

"But-"

"NO!"

"c'mo-"

"I SAID NO!"

"Alright, alright, I'll stop asking you…" Sokka got up to leave, and then glanced back at her. "But I can't guarantee that Aang will."

As Sokka closed the door, Katara's mouth fell open.

* * *

Katara sat with Toph in the shade of a large tree. It was a beautiful Monday, and the two girls had the last period off, so they went to starbucks and took a seat by the track, where the gym classes were in full swing.

"Aang will win." Toph said, pointing at the track, where some of the boys were lining up to race. "followed by….either Zuko or Haru."

"How can you tell?" Katara asked, staring at Toph blankly.

"I can hear their heartbeats, plus I listened to the individual strides to see who had the best form. Aang is the lightest on his feet, Zuko is strong, but a bit clumsy. Haru can't get his timing right."

Katara remembered how quickly Aang ran through the airport where they first met. Then she blushed at recalling that Aang had seen her bag full of underwear.

"What'cha thinkin about?" Toph asked with a grin. "I can feel the heat coming from your face."

Again, Toph was amazing at sensing that stuff. "Nothing…" Katara said, just before the boys exploded down the track.

Katara watched Aang run. The blue stripes of his tattoos ran down his legs, twisting around to the front of his legs and disappearing into his sneakers. Toph probably guessed right that Aang was very light, but he had chiseled muscle on his small legs.

Just as Toph predicted, Aang came in first by a good margin, then Zuko barely pulled ahead of Haru before crossing the finish line.

"Can you predict the future, Toph?"

Toph just laughed and went back to "reading" her book, running her fingers along the brail.

After a short silence, Katara turned to Toph. "So…I heard that there's some trouble with the band."

Toph closed her book and sighed. "Yeah…we're all great with the instrumental part. We're good at harmonizing, but we lack the vocal complement to Aangs lead guitar. I suppose that Aang is an okay singer, but he has the tone control of an elephant."

"Yeah…I noticed that he can't hit any higher notes."

"Honestly, I think we would do better to have a female voice as the lead."

The gym classes were now going in to change. Katara checked her watch. "The final bell's gonna ring in ten minutes."

"Are you guys still gonna come over today?" Toph asked.

"Yep, Aang is driving us there. So long as you gave him the right directions."

"Don't worry about it."

Toph and Katara stood by Aangs car to wait. Soon, Sokka, Zuko and Aang came rushing out of the building.

"Ready to go?" Aang called, making Katara's heart skip a beat.

"Yep," Toph said, grinning broadly. "you guys are gonna love this!"

* * *

"I love this!" Aang cried, almost ready to break into tears.

As it turned out, to everybody's surprise, Toph's father was the facilities manager at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and they had a house not 3 miles away!

Aang was staring out the window at the glowing red of the venue in the afternoon light. "Can we go up there?" he asked Toph excitedly.

Toph walked in from the kitchen, bearing Dr. Peppers. "Sure, there's a maintenance road that goes straight up there."

"Can we please eat something first? I'm starving!" Sokka groaned, receiving a soda can in the face.

Katara walked up to Aang and stood beside him. "You…really like this stuff, huh?"

Aang turned and smiled down at Katara. "Music has been my life as long as I can remember, and my dream has always been to play a sold-out concert at Red Rocks."

"Quite a dream there, cowboy." Katara grinned.

"Well, I think we have what it takes." He said, staring at Katara's lips. He was surprised at how comfortable he was around her after what happened on Saturday.

"You guys wanna go up there now? Toph asked, holding sodas out to Aang and Katara.

"Yes!" Aang cheered, letting the thoughts of the kiss drift away.

Ten minutes later, the group was standing on the stage of the amphitheatre. The afternoon sun was high overhead, casting warm light down onto the bright rocks. They extended outward on either side, making the whole place seem larger than it was. A seemingly infinite number of benches stretched up to the top of the venue.

Katara and Sokka, who had only ever seen pictures or this place, stood in awe at the true vastness of the amphitheatre. "Wow…" they both breathed.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Zuko said, shielding his eyes from the sun.

"Its amazing…" Sokka said, running forward, jumping the railing, and hopping up the first two benches. "Yeah, we definitely have to play here."

Everyone nodded in agreement, smiling contently.

"I've been to a few concerts here." Aang said, shuffling his feet. "One, I went to when it was sold out, and…my god…its magical."

Zuko jumped up to where Sokka was standing and clapped him on the shoulder. "There's a restaurant at the top…Race ya!"

As they bolted up the rows of benches, Toph spoke up. "I'm gonna go look for my dad. Remember to stay off the rocks." She exited to the left, toward the offices.

This left Aang and Katara standing on the stage alone. Katara could sense every little move Aang made. Memories of the football game came back to her.

"Katara…"

She turned to Aang and caught his bright gray eyes. He had an unreadable expression on his face. "Yes?"

"I…heard you the other day…when I went to get my hat from your house. You really have a beautiful voice."

Katara looked down at her feet, then sat down with her feet dangling over the front of the stage. Aang sat beside her.

"Sokka is always telling me that I have a voice like our mom. She used to sing at weddings. I remember how she always looked so beautiful standing there in the spotlight. I wanted more than anything to be up there with her one day."

"But…after she died, I could never stand up on a stage and look out at all those people without feeling like I was doing something wrong. it felt…like I was trampling on her memories, taking the spotlight that she should be under." Katara wiped her wet eyes. "I just couldn't do it anymore."

Aang looked at Katara, and saw that her cheeks were wet with wiped-away tears. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her. Katara took it and wiped away the tears.

"Losing your loved ones is never an easy thing. I know how you feel, because my dad was the guitarist in the family, and after he died, I couldn't even look at his guitar. I felt guilty, like I was taking his place. But then Gyatso told me 'The people we love are never truly lost, they're still with us. They look at us and see our grieving, and they are sad. The dead don't want us to grieve for them. Remember them, yes, but not to give up our happiness for them.' I realized that I was making myself feel sad, so I let them pass on. I know that my parents wouldn't want me to be unhappy, especially if it was them who were causing it."

"Your mom would want you to be happy. I'm sure that she's watching you, smiling. She would want you to pursue your happiness."

Katara was taken aback. Aang had never seemed to be so wise before. He was always such a goofball. Was this the true Aang?

She sniffed, pressing the handkerchief to her eyes again. "You're right…"

Aang smiled, then slid his hand over and took hers. It was only a few minutes, such a seemingly small measurement in this vast place, but in those short moments, Katara was falling in love with Aang, and she didn't care where it took her.

* * *

Voila! please review, I think my writing has improved! 


	11. Sorrow no more

Chapter 11

"Is it really love?"

Katara sighed for the millionth time and stared with tired but focused eyes at the wall above her dresser. The moonlight from the opposite window shone in and reflected on her mother's glass figurines. They sparkled like diamonds and splashed the wall with a myriad of colors.

"Mom…am I in love?"

Every little thing that Katara had that belonged to her mother seemed to have her spirit inside it. The figurines glow, when hit just right, almost made a picture of her mother, but nothing was happening tonight. It was just color.

"I really thought I hated him…" Katara thought out loud, hugging her pillow to her knees. "When did I start to see him like this?"

Katara looked up, and in desperation, cried out at the lights. "Help me mom, I need a…sign…"

She trailed off as a shadow passed over the moon, dimming the lights. With the weaker reflections faded, a shape formed from the brighter patches. The shape of a person with glowing eyes, no hair, and an arrow on their forehead.

Katara smiled and shed a tear, "Thanks mom…"

* * *

"No! We need to harmonize there! After I say 'and there will be', you guys harmonize on 'sorrow'!"

Aang was losing his patience. The after-school practice had been going good, until they hit the roadblock on the song "Sorrow" by Bad Religion. Not only was Aang unable to hit the cues, but the harmonizing by the rest of the band was off. They couldn't sing in the same key

"Aang, I'm sorry, but we aren't good at harmonizing." Zuko explained, leaning on a stool and taking a sip of water.

"Yeah, we just don't have the right sound." Sokka added.

"Well, if Aang wasn't singing lead, the three of you could hit it right. I can tell that it's my voice that screws it up." Toph sighed, scratching her neck with a drumstick. "But it won't sound right without a distinct voice on the mic."

Aang absently plucked some strings. He was staring absently at the strings when a shadow passed over the guitar. He looked up and saw Katara staring at the microphone attached to the stand. She gently removed it and tested the sound.

"Maybe I can help."

Sokka stood dumbstruck at his baby sister, Zuko slapped on a surprised but smug smile, and Toph grinned her trademark grin.

"Bout time, sweetness." Toph said.

"Katara…you not saying…" Sokka whimpered.

"I'll sing for you." She stated.

* * *

"One, two, three, four!"

Sokka started the song with a high chord, while Toph tapped out the distinct drum line of Sorrow. When they hit the break, Zuko jumped in the bass, and Katara spoke softly into the microphone.

_Father can you hear me?_

_How have I let you down?_

_I curse the dayyy…that I was born_

_And all the sorrow in this world._

Aang counted up the bridge with Zuko and Toph tapping in sync, then he descended into the next verse.

_Let me take you to the herding ground_

_Where all good men are trampled down._

_Just to settle a bet that could not be won…_

_Between a prideful father and his son."_

She breathed and wiped her brow as Aang hit the bridge again.

_Well you guard me now, for I can't see._

_A reason for this suffering and this long misery_

_What if every living soul could be upright and strong?_

_Well then, I do imagine there will be…_

Aang, Zuko and Sokka eased softly into the harmony on "_Sorrow_"

_Yeah there will be…_

_(Sorrow)_

_And there will be…Sorrow, no more!_

_When all soldiers lay their weapons down,_

_Or when all kings and all Queens relinquish their crowns,_

_Or when the only true messiah rescues us from ourselves…_

_It's easy to imagine there will be…_

_(Sorrow)_

_Yeah there will be…_

_(Sorrow)_

_And there will be…Sorrow no more!_

Now Aang jumped into the sunlight and started the solo, his eyes closed and head thrown back as he let the riffs roll off his fingers.

_There will be…_

_(Sorrow)_

_yeah there will be…_

_(Sorrow)_

_And there will be…Sorrow no more!_

_Yeah there will be…_

_(Sorrow)_

_Yeah there will be…_

_(Sorrow)_

_And there will be…Sorrow no more!_

Aang, Toph, Zuko and Sokka hit the last few notes and let the notes fade out to silence.

"Holy shit!" Zuko exclaimed.

"That…was right on." Toph said approvingly.

"Katara! What did I tell you?" Sokka said, exasperated and beaming.

Aang stepped forward and placed a hand on Katara's shoulder and simply smiled. Katara looked up into his eyes and gave him a relived smile. She hadn't let it affect her voice, but she was nervous beyond any extent Aang could understand.

"That is exactly the right sound that we need. Katara's voice complements Aangs lead perfectly." Zuko said, writing down a few notes on a pad of paper. "It limits our range of cover songs, but I think we can make it work."

Aang had kept his eyes fixed on Katara, smiling as warmly as the sun. "Yeah…we can make it work."

* * *

"What changed your mind?"

Katara turned from her book and looked out the window. Aang was leaning out his window, wearing only a pair of orange sweatpants. She placed the book down on her bed and walked to the window, smoothing wrinkles out of her blue robe. "It was you."

Aang smirked, then grabbed the window pane and swung out, dangling his legs in the open air. "Me?"

"Yes, it was you. What you said to me at Red Rocks, about how our loved ones don't want us to be sad? You made me realize that I was making my mom sad by being sad. I want to be close to her…maybe singing can help me with that."

Aang smiled. "I'm happy that you decided to sing. Not only for my sake…but for yours too."

Katara blushed and sat in her window with her legs tucked to the side. "I want to…but I'm still really nervous. I actually came home afterwards and had a breakdown in the shower."

Aang's expression softened, then he crouched on the window sill, jumped across the short distance to Katara's house, grabbed the gutter with one hand, and tilted her chin up with the other. "Remember something very wise by the Beatles: We Can Work it Out. I know you have it in you."

Aang craned his neck down to Katara and barely touched their lips together. Her breath caught at the sensation of electricity where they touched. She suddenly became very flushed, blood rushing to her head.

Before she knew it, she was in a full lip-lock with Aang, who was still dangling like spider-man from her house. It felt like fireworks were going off in her heart, and fizzing all the way down to her belly.

Aang slowed the passionate kiss and pulled away. Katara was so stunned by what had happened, she didn't even notice that Aang had jumped back to his own window.

"See? I knew you had it in you." He stepped back into his room and put his hands on the window. "Good night."

Aang closed the window softly, leaving Katara still staring out at his room absently. She touched her lips with her fingers and drew a small smile. "Good night."

* * *

Across town, at a run-down venue that stood like a church in the middle of the urban street, a long black sedan pulled in front, and a man in a black suit with a flame insignia embroidered on the collar stepped out.

The man cracked a smile, lighting a cigar with a wooden match. His long grey hair blew loosely in the wind. "This is it…"


	12. Whats in a name?

Chapter 12

Aang was picking his way through a half melted Kit-Kat bar, on his way to the cafeteria. He tried to simultaneously eat and dig for change in his pocket, ended up dropping the change, and rammed his head into a bulletin board chasing after a quarter. When recovering, he had, by chance, glanced up at a flyer stuck on top of all the others. Upon seeing the flyer, he dropped the Kit-Kat, tore the flyer loose, and bolted for the cafeteria.

Something important was about to happen.

* * *

"Is this stuff edible?" Katara asked Zuko, gesturing at the so-called "chicken-fried steak" in front of her.

"Heh…it gets better the more you-"

"GUYS!!!"

Everybody lifted their lunch trays up from the table just before Aang rammed into it, waving a bright yellow flyer in front of him.

"Aang! You got…whatever this stuff is…all over Toph's shirt!" Katara scolded, and then spotted the dark brown stain smothered on Aangs mouth. "Is that chocolate?"

"What's up with Aang?" Sokka asked, just walking up to the table.

Aang managed to catch his breath and held the flyer out steady. "Open gig concert!"

"…What's open gig night?" Sokka asked.

"It's a local's only concert. Usually there are a few record labels there to look for fresh talent. It's like a battle of the bands, but there's no prize." Zuko said, taking the flyer from Aang.

"Wow, so I assume we're going?" Toph asked, raising an eyebrow while wiping the mystery food from her shirt.

"If we do…we'll need a 3 song set. There are two elimination rounds, to weed out any posers, and a final round that's open to the public." Zuko explained, scanning the flyer.

"We can do that!" Sokka yelled, standing up in a stance of triumph.

Katara smiled at her friends. Toph was trying to calm Sokka down, Aang was beaming, but for some reason, Zuko was staring at the flyer, transfixed, worry soaking his face.

What was up with that?

* * *

"Zuko!"

The scarred teenager turned around, letting go of the handle of his Jeep. "Whats up, Aang?"

Aang slowed to a stop and put a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "I saw the sponsors on the flyer…are you okay?"

Zuko looked at his reflection in the glass of his window, took a deep breath, and smiled at Aang, but only turning enough to show the good side of his face.

"I'm fine. I figured it would have to happen sooner or later."

Aang gave his friend a genuine, but concerned smile, patted his shoulder, and walked to his car.

Zuko slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled the yellow flyer out. In the lower right corner of the page, in decorated letters, was a familiar symbol. Zuko saw it on hundreds of papers in his house growing up, and remembered that it had a part in the scar that marred his face.

Zuko mumbled to himself. "Open gig concert, this weekend at The Gothic," he touched his scar. "Sponsored in part by OZAI Record Industries."

* * *

"What does one wear to a concert like this?" Katara asked Toph.

"I really wouldn't know."

"Oh…right. Sorry."

It was the day before the concert, and everyone was in a rush for last-minute prep. Mostly, the problem was getting everyone TO the venue, along with their equipment. Zuko volunteered his Jeep to carry equipment, and everyone else could pile into Appa. Sokka was frantically trying to master the last few chords of their first song, so nobody had seen him in a while. Aang…

Aang was doing absolutely nothing.

It was really weird. You figured that Aang would be the most excited, or the most panicked out of everyone. But he just sat on top of Appa, staring out at the plains.

"Though, if you want some advice on how to get Aang to notice you, I'd suggest something with some slink" Toph said in a very sneaky tone.

Katara blushed, almost tried to push Toph off the bed, then smiled. "Yeah…maybe."

"What!?" Toph shrieked. "That was a joke!"

"I know…but you might be right."

Toph leaned back into Katara's headboard. "Well, there are two things you need to consider: Aang, and the image of the band. You're the 'front man', so you represent us the most."

Katara nodded, then smiled before darting to her closet and pulling out an outfit.

"I've got it!"

* * *

Aang breathed deeply once more, like he had been doing all day, and turned the ideas around in his head. He knew that the band had everything to make a slammin performance. Awesome talent, a diverse group, an adaptable style…

But they didn't have a name.

For the life of him, Aang couldn't come up with a name for the group. He knew that there was something that tied each of the band members together, but he couldn't put it into words.

He sighed, then trudged back into the house and went to the kitchen.

"Troubled?"

Aang jumped and almost sent a bag of potato chips into orbit. He hadn't noticed that the kitchen already had an inhabitant.

"Hey Gyatso…yeah, I am a bit troubled."

"Come, sit down."

Aang sat in the seat Gyatso gestured to, and graciously took the cup of tea he offered.

"What are your troubles?" the old man asked.

"Well…you know that we've got this whole band thing going on tomorrow, right? Well, we have everything we need to make a splash…except a meaningful name."

Gyatso's face stayed blank. He then stood up and went to the other room. A moment later, he returned, carrying a hard bound book.

"I've seen all of your friends, Aang. You do have a diverse group. So diverse, it seems, that each of them represent one of the four ancient cultures."

Gyatso opened the book and flipped to a page with a large ornate symbol printed on it.

Gyatso pointed to one that looked like a flame. "The fire nation…" he moved to one that looked like a trapezoid. "the earth kingdom…the water tribe, the air nomads."

He turned to another page. This one depicted a person standing on a pillar. Aang couldn't tell if it was male or female, or any one of the four nationalities. Surrounding it were the same four symbols from the other page.

"Did I ever tell you the story of The Avatar? In ancient times, common people were capable of controlling the elements of the world. The Avatar was the only one capable of mastering the use of all four: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. The Avatar was also charged with keeping peace in the world, both the physical and spirit worlds. When The Avatar harnessed the power of the spirits of his past lives, his eves and tribal markings would glow white, and he would possess enough power to change the world."

"Aang, I am very connected to these old stories. A long time ago, I said that you glowed when you played your guitar. I'm convinced that you, whether intended or not, embody the power of The Avatar."

Aangs eyes went wide. "So I can control the elements and change the world?"

Gyatso chuckled. "No, unfortunately not. I said that you 'embody' The Avatar. I've watched you dealing with your new friends. You have a natural talent for solving conflict."

Aang sipped his tea and looked out the kitchen window. "I see what you're getting at…but how does this help me come up with a name?"

Gyatso chuckled and stood up, leaving the book open on the table. "That, my young charge, is up to you. I hope, however, that you think on the things I have told you today." With that, Gyatso left the kitchen.

Aang stared at the picture of the person with glowing eyes, at the symbols of the elements, at the images of his friends that flashed in front of his eyes.

His eyes snapped open, and Aang grinned down at the image of The Avatar.

* * *

The sun rose the next day on a cloudless sky. A light breeze blew just hard enough to cool down anyone who happened to be outside.

The whole band, save for Aang, were standing in Zuko's driveway, loading guitars and extra gear into the back. Since the band had no unified style, each one of them wore a basic outfit. Zuko wore a sleeveless red shirt and black jeans, Toph had an uncharacteristically tight green shirt (Picked out by Katara) and some cargo pants, along with a myriad of silver and green jewelry. Sokka had foregone his usual band attire and wore a two-tone blue t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. Katara had a pair of hip-hugger jeans, and a dark blue long-sleeved open shoulder shirt with a single vertical stripe going across her heart.

"Where is he!?" Toph asked nobody in particular.

"Don't worry, he'll be here" Zuko said, slamming the hatch on his Jeep.

A moment later, Aang's garage door opened and Appa started up. The cream-colored car pulled up to the end of the driveway and stopped. Aang stepped out, wearing an orange and yellow shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of gray jeans. He had a paper bag in one hand as he walked up the driveway.

"Hey there guys."

"Hey man…whats in the bag?" Zuko asked.

Aang reached into the bag and pulled out a starch-white ribbon, about an inch and a half wide, with a small red flame embroidered on one end. "These are our statements."

Zuko took the ribbon and simply stared at it. Aang reached back into the bag and pulled out four more white ribbons. Each one had a strange symbol embroidered on one end of it. The two that Sokka and Katara had were the same symbol, but Katara's was embroidered in a lighter shade of blue. Toph ran her finger over the fabric and grinned, like she knew what it meant.

"What do we do with these?" Sokka asked.

"Put them on, anywhere you like." Aang replied.

Sokka stared at the ribbon and brought it up to his forehead. He tied it so that the symbol showed on the right side of his face. Zuko tied it onto his left arm, also making sure that the symbol showed. Toph tied it like a hair band, in just the right way so the symbol rested on the top of her head.

Aang tied the ribbon on his left wrist, and Katara put it on her right wrist.

"What are the symbols?"

"They're the insignia's of each of the ancient nations. Each one of us comes from a different one of them, and each of us came under a united goal: our music."

Aang looked at each one of them in turn, resting his gaze a bit longer on Katara. "We are a united group. And in ancient times, there was a single person who united each of the nations, and the elements. That's where I came up with our band name."

Toph chuckled and shook her head. "Brilliant." She mumbled.

Aang made a fist and thrust his left hand forward. Everyone followed suit.

"We'll call ourselves…_Avatar_."

* * *

Well, theres chapter twelve. The plot will thicken, I assure you! And for anyone who doesnt know about the symbols I'm refering to, watch the opening sequence of any episode. Read and Review! 


	13. Stars

Chapter 13

The ride to the concert hall was somewhat uneventful. Everyone but Zuko had piled into Appa, while Zuko drove his Jeep loaded up with their gear.

They parked the car about a block away from The Gothic, an old style movie theatre that had been converted into a concert hall. They met up with Zuko in the loading area out back.

Aang went up to one of the coordinators and got instructions on where to put their stuff. "Get yourselves registered up by the stage, and take your gear to any free space you can get. When you're called, take your gear up and perform your song. When everyone has performed, the judges will call you out if you make it to the second round."

Zuko parked his Jeep, and then everyone took their stuff and squeezed inside. The whole hall was packed with bands of all types. There were rap-rock fusion groups, Goth bands, emo rockers, and many other types. To be fair, Avatar was the only normal looking group there. Normally, the hall was completely bare, but for the event, rows of chairs had been set up facing the stage. The group found an empty section and made camp among the seats.

"Im gonna go and check out their drum set." Toph stated, dragging Sokka with her to show where the stuff was.

"I'll go get us something to eat." Zuko volunteered, then walked away into the crowd of rockers.

This left Aang and Katara alone , dutifully guarding the three guitars. Aang was fidgeting with anticipation and Katara was shaking in her sneakers.

"What's wrong?" Aang asked supportively.

Katara turned and blushed when she realized that Aang was looking at her. She stroked the white ribbon on her wrist as she answered. "It's just…I'm gonna be singing in front of all of these people…"

"You have absolutely nothing to worry about." Aang stated firmly.

Katara was caught off guard by the strength of his response. "How…do you know?"

Aang smiled and leaned down, kissing Katara gently on the forehead, light as a butterfly. "Because, I'm right here. And so are the rest of your friends. We're all nervous wrecks, but that nervousness is completely overtaken by one thing."

"What's that?"

"Excitement. Think about it: we're a rock band! Its no easy task to become something like that."

He smirked and hugged her closer. "And if you're worried about your voice, you shouldn't. I can tell that you're the best singer in here, hands down."

Katara giggled and looked around, admiring the gravity of the situation. So few people ever got here, and she knew that they were very good.

* * *

Zuko was way too nervous for his own good. His hands were shaking so bad he would have dropped his money if it wasn't stuck to his hands by sweat. Everywhere he looked, he saw a tall shadow, an evil grin, and flashes of fire. 

The cashier looked up from her screen with a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

Zuko, shaken from his reverie, smiled weakly and handed the money to the girl. "Yes, im fine…" he took the sodas and chips, then turned to leave.

"Allow me to help." A voice said from behind Zuko.

Zuko paled and turned slowly, that voice sounded so familiar! He came face to face with a gray haired man with a full beard, and bright gold eyes. He was wearing a black business suit with a red tie.

_No…it's not him…but I think I know this man._

"I'm sorry…but you look very familiar." He said to the man.

The man chuckled and took two of the sodas from Zuko's arms. "I doubt that you do remember me, Zuko, but one doesn't soon forget such a scar. I worked closely under your father before you moved out. Now, I no longer work for him, but I am the founder of the Roku Music inc."

Zuko's eyes widened. "Roku!?"

The man smiled and put an arm around Zuko, leading them away from the concession stands. "It is good to see you again, my boy. How are you doing?"

Zuko smiled "I'm well. I'm here with my band."

"I had always known that you would find your way into the business. You were so fascinated with it when you were younger." Roku's eyes fell, he lowered his voice. "You do know, that you fa-"

"Yes, I know that his company is sponsoring this contest." Zuko looked around quickly, then turned back to Roku. "Is he…here?"

"You can rest easily, he is not here today. But you should know that for the second and third rounds, he will be here."

Zuko Unconsciously touched his scar.

"Don't worry about him, Zuko. He can't do anything to you now." Roku assured. He looked at his watch. "The first songs are going to start soon. What number are you?"

Zuko looked at the pass that Aang gave him. "Ummm…number 19."

"I'll be sure to catch your performance. Good luck."

Roku patted Zuko on the back and made his way off into the crowd, Leaving Zuko holding the food. It took a moment to register that Roku had taken two of the sodas.

"Dammit…"

* * *

"The drum set will do fine. I can make it work." Toph said, plopping down next to the equipment. 

"That's good." Aang said, not at all worried that it would have been a problem anyway. Toph was smart enough to figure it out if it was a problem.

Zuko returned with bags of chips, candy, and three sodas. "Why only three sodas?" Aang asked as he sat down.

Zuko flushed and handed out the food to the group. "I…ran out of money."

The lights in the hall dimmed slightly and a man with a gray beard stepped up on the stage with a microphone. "Good morning to everyone! Welcome to the annual Open Gig Concert sponsored by OZAI record industries and Roku Music inc. as you all know, you are here to compete in the eyes of the present record labels, and proceed to the next round. At the moment, will band number one find their way up to the stage?"

A group moved from the crowd onto the stage, plugged in, sound checked, introduced themselves, and kicked off the first round of the Open Gig Concert.

* * *

Two hours, seventeen bands, and a whole mess of amateur attempts at songs later, the kids of the band Avatar were tensing up for their performance. Aang had his guitar out and was playing in his self-induced state of zen, Sokka was doing some light exercise and cracking his knuckles uncontrollably, Toph was absently tapping her drumsticks on a very irritated Zuko's head, and Katara was humming to keep her vocal cords ready. 

Roku stepped up onto the stage and congratulated the last group. "…very excellent. Now will group number nineteen please make their way to the front?"

There was a collective sigh as the group stood up and weaved through the crowd to the stage. Each of them took their places across the stage: Toph on her throne among the drums, Zuko to her left, Sokka to her right. Aang swung the strap over his shoulder and stood to Katara's right, who was center stage.

As everyone plugged in and adjusted, Katara stood transfixed before the crowd. Old fears were bubbling up, threatening to overtake her willpower.

Just before she fainted, Aang placed a gentle hand on Katara's shoulder and whispered. "I'm right here."

He smiled, and instantly, all the fear faded away. She faced the microphone and spoke out to the crowd. "Eh-hem…Hello, we are Avatar, and we will be playing Stars, by Switchfoot."

There were scattered cheers and clapping from the crowd. Katara turned back to her friends and raised her right hand, on which the insignia was tied. Toph and Sokka nodded, flashing their headbands under the lights. Zuko raised a fist and flexed against the white fabric, giving a reassuring smirk to Katara. Aang smiled once more and stepped into position.

With another deep breath, Katara gestured to Toph, who counted down: _One! Two! Three! Four!_

Sokka and Zuko joined in as Toph pounded out the beat, and after the first riff, Aang dived in and took the lead. Soon, Katara was drawing breath, and began to sing.

I've been thinking 'bout everyone, everyone you look so lonely

_Maybe I've been the problem  
Maybe I'm the one to blame  
But even when I turn it off and blame myself  
The outcome feels the same_

I've been thinking maybe I've been partly cloudy  
Maybe I'm the chance of rain  
And maybe I'm overcast  
And maybe all my luck's washed down the drain

I've been thinking 'bout everyone,  
Everyone you looks so lonely  
But when I look at the stars  
When I look at the stars  
When I look at the stars, I see someone else  
When I look at the stars  
The stars, I feel like myself

Stars looking at a planet  
Watching entropy and pain  
And maybe to start to wonder  
How the chaos in our lives could pass as sane

I've been thinking 'bout the meaning of resistance  
Of a hope beyond my own  
And suddenly the infinite and penitent  
Begin to look like home

I've been thinking about everyone  
Everyone you looks so empty  
But when I look at the stars  
When I look at the stars  
When I look at the stars, I see someone else  
When I look at the stars  
The stars, I feel like myself.  
Yeah!

Everyone, Everyone feels so lonely  
Everyone, yeah everyone feels so empty  
When I look at the stars  
When I look at the stars  
When I look at the stars, I feel like myself  
When I look at the stars  
The stars, I see someone...  


As Katara finished singing, Aang took over and blazed through the outro on his guitar. As the buzz from the speakers faded, Katara realized that the whole concert hall; the musicians, the judges, even the staff, were all staring with rapt attention.

She turned to Aang and gave him a pleading look. He nodded and took Katara's place at the microphone.

"Thank you…um…yeah…" Aang was almost as speechless as the rest of the people in the room.

Slowly, applause began to build. Starting at the judges table and creeping back to the audience. Soon, the whole venue was on its feet, cheering for this group of teenagers.

Among the cheering, chanting began. The fellow musicians in the crowd were begging for more. "Avatar! Avatar! Avatar!"

* * *

Story-wise, this chapter is a bit short. ill probably get the next chapter up nextsaturday or sunday night. i have drivers education this week. Please Review! 


	14. Bleed it out

It has been a seriously long time since i had inspiration for this story. Thank you to everyone who kept reading and commenting, i hope this chapter is up to the expectations. So sorry for the wait, but here's Chapter 14: Bleeding Out

* * *

Chapter 14 

After an awesomely successful first day, the members of Avatar were chilling out in Zuko's garage. Bouncing ideas around for next week's concert.

"We need something that will really blow the judges out of the water." Toph said. "Something that rocks the house!"

"No way! We need something that shows off Aang's mad skill and Katara's voice!"

Well…it was more like Sokka and Toph arguing which of their styles to use. Aang and Katara sat back, waiting for them to lose some momentum. Zuko wasn't paying attention.

"Guys!" Aang finally shouted, catching everyone's attention.

"Obviously, we need to play to our strengths, and yes, we should be loud enough to get noticed, but its more than that! Everyone in our band has something that those other bands don't have: Heart. Our next song should be powerful, yes, but it needs to mean something!"

Aang turned to Zuko, who finally noticed the conversation. "What?"

"I want you to pick the next song." Aang stated firmly.

"Yeah! Zuko, this should be your song next!" Katara gushed.

"Why me?"

Aang leaned in close, so only Zuko could hear. "Because, we need your heart to make an impression in the next round."

Zuko immediately knew what Aang meant. He touched his scar in thought and took a deep breath. "Okay, ill pick the next song."

Everyone smiled, and soon had to head off to rest up. Aang was the last to leave. "Zuko, I know you have this in you. Show them…show _him _what you can do."

Aang walked out, and Zuko lingered by his guitar. "Yeah…but _how?_"

* * *

School on Monday. Katara was walking around on an off-period, listening to her CD player. As she rounded the side of the building, she spotted a familiar figure sitting on the bleachers by the football field. It was Zuko. He was hunched over a notebook with a pair of headphones over his ears.

Katara walked up, and tapped Zuko on the shoulder. He nearly jumped out of his headphones from surprise. When he saw Katara grinning, taking out her headphones, he switched off his iPOD and patted the seat next to him. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I have a free period today." Katara said while leaning over toward the notebook. "Whatcha doin?"

"…Trying to decide what song we should do on Saturday…Its so frustrating."

"How so?"

"Well, it's a crucial part of the competition. The first round is just to weed out the posers and hopeless cases. The second round is meant to really make an impression on the companies and…" Zuko sighed. "It's just…really important that I show him that I'm strong."

"…Him? You mean…Mr. Ozai?"

Zuko nodded. "He's…my father." He touched his scar.

Katara gasped. "Really? Oh my god…Zuko, He was the one who…I'm so sorry…"

Zuko cut in. "I don't want any sympathy. I need to do this on my own, with my own strength. If I can't face him down…I risk dragging everyone else down with me."

A heavy silence hung between the two. Zuko was doing his best to keep his emotions in check, and Katara was doing her best not to feel sorry for him.

"You know…sometimes, we need to rely on others to make our way. If it weren't for Aang's confidence, I never would have considered singing on stage. And the whole concept of a band, the practice of combining so many skills and sounds, is the same thing. Each part depends on another part to make it sound great."

"We're all here for you, Zuko. And we'll be here for you the whole way. Let this song be your chance to let that feeling out. To "bleed it out", as my dad would say.

So, with a smile and a wave, Katara stood up and hopped down the bleachers.

Zuko rubbed his scar and grinned. "Bleed it out…"

* * *

So, later that day, Zuko told everyone the song he wanted to play while they sat in the garage.

"I don't know Zuko, I've never tried to…sing like that before."

"You can do it Katara!" Aang shouted. Upon realizing his outburst, he blushed and grinned, continuing to strum his guitar. "Eh hem…well, I'm sure I can get the guitar down,"

"I can do the rhythm, no problem. Endurance is my specialty." Sokka gloated proudly.

Toph punched Sokka off his High horse. "Well, I can show Katara how to use a tambourine."

Zuko smiled a rare, genuine smile. "Thanks Guys. I really need to do this. This song is perfect for what I need."

Katara smiled secretly, thankful that her words were able to help Zuko out.

"Well…" Aang said, hopping up to his place among the setup. "Lets try it out!"

Zuko handed out the appropriate sheets to everyone, and they all took their place.

"I want to do the chorus." He said to everyone. Katara nodded, and the rest of the band smiled in approval.

"One, two, three four…"

* * *

After practice, Katara felt like relaxing her voice. The lyrics of the song Zuko chose were very different from what Katara was used to. So she was taking a walk out to the top of the hill behind Zuko's house. When she got there, she laid down on the grass and just breathed.

It was something her father had taught her. Whenever he needed to relax, he found a place where nothing else rose above him and just laid down. Katara loved the feeling. Looking straight up, without anything on either side to tether your vision to earth, was one of the best feelings in the world.

"Strange I keep running into you like this."

Katara looked back and found herself staring at an upside-down Aang. "Hey you."

"What're you up to all the way up here?" He asked with a hearty grin.

"Just…resting up. It's a hard song to sing."

"Yeah…but Zuko needs to do this. Did he tell you about Ozai?" Aang asked. He sat on the ground next to Katara.

"Sort of…I think I know why this is important."

Aang lay down next to Katara, staring up at the sky. Katara laid her head next to Aang's, but couldn't seem to focus on the stars.

Aang, likewise, couldn't focus with the smell of Katara's hair Hovering over his head. He could feel his heart quickening the more he thought about the two of them.

Soon. Katara raised her head and turned toward Aang. "Aang…remember when you jumped over to my window and…kissed me?"

Aang blushed. "Yeah…I remember."

"…Well, I've been thinking about it…and…"

"Aang, will you be my boyfriend?" She blurted out, rather more forcefully than she intended.

Aang blinked, then reached up and took Katara's face between his hands. "Of course I will."

Katara opened her eyes, and smiled a most radiant smile down at Aang. She lowered her head and kissed Aang softly on the lips.

They weren't sure how long they were like that, but when they finally broke the kiss, both of them were out of breath.

"…I'm going to get addicted to your kisses if they all feel like that." Katara stated rather dreamily.

"I'm already addicted." Aang teased.

So the two of them lay under the sky, in each others arms, quite content to take on the world…together.

* * *

So the week came and went, and soon the Saturday of the Band's concert was upon them. Just like the last time, they donned their trademark white ribbons and set out in Appa, with Zuko following behind.

They arrived at the theatre shortly. There were significantly fewer cars there on this day of the competition, having narrowed the number of bands down to ten. They entered the theatre and registered at the front desk, then were told to head backstage.

So, there they were, each of the members of Avatar doing their pre-show rituals. They were up fourth in the lineup.

Zuko was a wreck. He was breathing terribly hard, and sweating bullets. He thought he was ready, but…

"I can't do this." He said with his head in his hands.

Aang, who had anticipated this, placed a hand on Zuko's back.

"Remember when we first met? When you were wailing on that bass in guitar center? When I first saw you, I saw nothing but strength. Not just in body, but in spirit. The way you played that bass so intently, and with such a steady hand, amazed me."

"That was before…I was going to meet the man who maimed me!"

Aang kneeled down to look Zuko in the eye. "Youre not the same as you were then. You **are** stronger, you **are** smarter, and you **are** a better person. No matter what happens, he can never take that away from you."

"The past is the past…it makes the present happen. You can either let the world walk all over you, or you can turn the tables." Toph added.

"I haven't known you that long, Zuko," Sokka sighed. "but I do know that someone…anyone who has been through what you have would have been a much worse person than you are. You took the worst event in your life and turned it into your greatest strength."

Katara then kneeled down and smiled. Zuko looked up into her eyes. "Its just like I told you the other day. Bleed it out."

Zuko stared for a moment, then made a fist with his left hand, tightening the fabric of his white ribbon. "Bleed it out…"

"Avatar?" a woman with a headset poked her head through the curtain. "You're up."

"Are you here, Zuko?" Aang asked lightly.

Zuko sat for a moment, eyes closed. "…I'm here." He replied with conviction.

The band stood up, nodded to each other, and went out to the stage. Sitting in the front row were five executives and their assistants, Mr. Roku, and a man with a fair face that could only be Zuko's father, Ozai.

Everyone took their places and plugged their instruments into the sound system. Zuko had not yet opened his eyes.

Katara stepped up to the mike. "We're Avatar, and we'll be playing Bleed it Out by Linkin Park.

Toph Counted down with her sticks, and Sokka dived into the main riff of the song. Katara took a final preparatory breath and hit her cue.

_Here we go for the hundredth time,  
Hand grenade pins in every line,  
Throw 'em up and let something shine.  
Going out of my fucking mind.  
Filthy mouth, no excuse.  
Find a new place to hang this noose.  
String me up from atop these roofs.  
Knot it tight so I won't get loose.  
Truth is you can stop and stare,  
Bled myself out and no one cares.  
Dug a trench out, laid down there  
With a shovel up out to reach somewhere.  
Yeah someone pour it in,  
Make it a dirt dance floor again.  
Say your prayers and stomp it out,  
When they bring that chorus in._

Katara stepped back, still shaking her tambourine, and let Zuko take the mic for the chorus.

_I bleed it out,  
Digging deeper just to throw it away.  
I bleed it out,  
Digging deeper just to throw it away.  
I bleed it out,  
Digging deeper just to throw it away,  
Just to throw it away,  
Just to throw it away._

Zuko Stepped back, letting Katara step up to hermic again and sing the second verse.

_I bleed it out.  
Go, stop the show.  
Choppy words and a sloppy flow.  
Shotgun opera, lock and load,  
Cock it back and then watch it go.  
Mama help me, I've been cursed,  
Death is rolling in every verse.  
Candy paint on his brand new hearse.  
Can't contain him, he knows he works.  
Fuck this hurts, I won't lie.  
Doesn't matter how hard I try.  
Half the words don't mean a thing,  
And I know that I won't be satisfied.  
So why, try ignoring him.  
Make it a dirt dance floor again.  
Say your prayers and stomp it out,  
When they bring that chorus in._

Zuko stepped back up, and Katara fell back to his position. He still had his eyes closed.

_I bleed it out,  
Digging deeper just to throw it away.  
I bleed it out,  
Digging deeper just to throw it away.  
I bleed it out,  
Digging deeper just to throw it away,  
Just to throw it away,  
Just to throw it away._

Zuko opened his eyes, and stared straight at Ozai as he sang the next verse.

_I bleed it out.  
I've opened up these scars,  
I'll make you face this.  
I pulled myself so far,  
I'll make you face this now._

_I bleed it out,  
Digging deeper just to throw it away.  
I bleed it out,  
Digging deeper just to throw it away.  
I bleed it out,  
Digging deeper just to throw it away,  
Just to throw it away,  
Just to throw it away._

_I bleed it out,  
Digging deeper just to throw it away.  
I bleed it out,  
Digging deeper just to throw it away.  
I bleed it out,  
Digging deeper just to throw it away,  
Just to throw it away,  
Just to throw it away._

_I bleed it out.  
I bleed it out.  
I bleed it out._

The band let the last notes fade to black. Roku and the executives stood and cheered as the bandmates took a bow. Zuko kept his gaze fixed straight on Ozai, who stared back with smiling eyes, his mouth hidden behind his hands.

"Very impressive, my young friends." Roku said to the band. "A very interesting song to choose with a female vocalist on the verses, but you have…something special."

Ozai stood up and smiled thinly at Zuko. "Yes…very special indeed."

Zuko stood his ground behind the microphone, then pulled his guitar off his shoulder, jumped from the stage, walked right up to Ozai and stuck his scarred face right into Ozai's unmarred one.

The two were completely still for only a moment. Then Zuko's fist flew up and hooked right across Ozai's cheek. Ozai flew a full ten feet from where he had stood, and lay on the ground groaning.

"That was for my mother, who you abandoned. My sister, who you abandoned. And for me, who you drove away."

Zuko turned his back and gripped his right hand with his left, to keep his hand from shaking. "Enjoy that temporary mark on your face, maybe then you'll have some small idea of what it's like to wear your shame for all the world to see."

Zuko walked steadily back to the stage, picked up his guitar, and hefted it to his shoulder. "Roku, thank you for your time."

Mr. Roku nodded, then turned to tend to Ozai, albeit reluctantly. Zuko faced his bandmates and smirked.

"Sorry guys, I might have just ruined our chances at signing with Ozai Records."

Aang walked up and clapped a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "No problem at all, bud." He said with a smile.

So the Band followed Zuko off the stage, leaving a stunned Audience and a very painful past behind.

* * *

Soooo...R&R Please!


	15. Life without a beat

Chapter 15

"So, where does this leave us?" Toph asked as Zuko shut the trunk of his Jeep.

"Probably back in our garage phase." Sokka said. Zuko turned to give him a glare. "Hey, I understand and totally back where you were coming from in there, but the fact is, punching out the producer of the record company we're trying to impress might not have been such a good idea."

"Don't worry. The voting is a group decision between all those people you saw in there, and most of them are aware of my...history. Plus, Roku is an old friend. He can straighten anything like that out."

"Well, they'll contact us if we make the final cut, so lets go over to Aang's house and chill for a bit." Toph said, stretching out her shoulders.

"Yeah! Gyato bought a Wii for my birthday a few months ago, you guys should come over and play!"

Everyone nodded, and, piling into Appa, headed to Aang's house for some well-deserved relaxation.

* * *

"So how long did you live in New York for?" Aang asked Katara. It was late, and Aang decided to pay Katara another nightly visit via Window-to-Window travel. They were enjoying a movie on Katara's satellite service.

"We were born in New York State, but Dad moved into the city after mom died."

"...You never told me what happened to your mom." Aang asked cautiously.

Katara's gaze became unfocused, she was staring beyond the T.V. "My mom was born with a weak immune system. About five years ago, she caught a particularly bad strain of the flu and died from the fever."

Aang was speechless. Katara turned and saw the look on Aang's face and quickly added: "It sounds bad, but she wasn't in any pain when she passed. She died while she was sleeping..." A tear rolled down Katara's cheek. "It's been...difficult for us since she passed. I've kinda become the woman of the house in her stead. Sokka even sometimes calls me mom."

"She must have been a great woman, if you're any reflection of what she was like."

"Mom was one of the kindest people in the city."

They fell silent for a moment. Aang was unsure of what to say. Katara then spoke softly. "I do miss her...but I know she wasn't the type to linger on bad memories. So I don't grieve for her. I remember her, but I don't let the fact of her death interfere with the life I know she wanted me to have."

Aang smiled and pulled her closer. He was very happy that Katara wasn't a truly sad person. In respect to their outlooks on tragedy, they were weirdly similar. But Aang was just happy that she had her happiness...and that he had her.

* * *

The next morning, Aang was roused awake by the sound of the doorbell. "Gyatso! Could you get the door?" he called out through the small portion of his mouth that was not buried in his pillow. After two more rings, spaced patiently by someone who apparently knew that the house was currently occupied. Aang groaned and drug himself out of bed. He trudged down the stairs in a pair of sweatpants, displaying his tattoos to anyone who might look.

The doorbell rang one more time as Aang grasped the knob and pulled the front door open. The sunlight temporarily blinded him, so he was rubbing his eyes as he greeted the visitor. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for Aang, the representative of the band 'Avatar'?"

Suddenly awake, Aang forced his eyes open and saw that his visitor was none other than Roku, the head of Roku Music Inc., and one of the judges of the open Gig Concert series.

"Ummm, wow, I feel underdressed." Aang said brilliantly.

Roku chuckled heartily and set a pleased gaze on Aang. "Think nothing of it, my boy. This is anything but a formal visit. I'm simply here to relay to you what you missed yesterday. You left early, and were unable to hear the results of yesterday's performances."

Aang stiffened. This message could go either way: Pass or Fail. He clutched the doorknob with white-knuckle anticipation.

"Despite Ozai's attempts to slander you during our deliberation, we have decided that your group will pass on to the final round of competition. So long as you refrain from assaulting any more judges."

Aang's face lit up in a triumphant smile. "Awesome!" he cheered, sending a small flock of birds from their perch in a tree. His face twisted into a look of apprehension and concern. "But what about Zuko..."

"Due to the past history of Zuko and his father, Ozai decided that any case would reveal more than he is willing to share. Zuko will be forgivenfor the assault."

Aang smiled again and grasped Roku's hand firmly. "Thank you...and if you want to speak to Zuko, he does live just over there." He pointed to Zuko's house across the street.

"Perhaps another time...at the moment, I have a concert to organize. Next weekend is the public performance. Make sure that you're ready." Roku handed Aang a packet with all the organization information. He turned to leave, then added: "I'm not supposed to show any favor...but good luck on Saturday."

Aang smiled once more and saluted with two fingers. "Thank you."

Roku walked to his car, got in, and drove off. Aang stood in the doorway, looking at the end of the street. When the car passed out of sight, he stretched and grinned toward the sky.

* * *

An hour later, everybody was gathered in Zuko's garage, Cheering enthusiastically as Aang recounted his meeting with Roku earlier.

"Thats great!" Sokka exclaimed, swinging Toph around jubilantly. "Wait til' Suki hears! Do you know if we can get tickets for our friends?"

"It says here in this packet that thew performers have first dibs on tickets. Gauranteed ten per group, but we can get more if we call in." Zuko stated, reading over the information.

Finally released from Sokkas grip, Toph spoke. "So, next weekend? Do we have any idea what we want to play?"

"Yeah, we should start practicing soon." Katara said, reading over Zuko's shoulder. She looked up at Aang. "What do you think we should play?"

"You won't be playing anything."

The band looked to the door of the garage, and there stood Toph's father, his face twisted in an angry scowl. "Toph Bei Fong, is this what you have been doing these past few weeks? Running off so you can play in some Rock Band!?"

"Dad, I-"

"Get in the car. We're going home." he grabbed Toph's wrist and pulled her out of the garage. He looked back at the rest of the group with disdain. "You are forbidden to associate with these...delinquients from now on!"

Toph climbed into the car, and as the door shut, everyone saw a look of sadness and pleading on Toph's face. Her father walked to the driver's side and got in. the car was out of sight before Aang dared to speak.

"Oh no..."

* * *

Monday. Katara was sitting in her first class, eagerly awaiting Toph's arrival. When the girl entered, she took her seat by Katara and sighed.

"What happened?" Katara asked.

"Mom and Dad flipped when I told them what I was doing. Unfortunately, my dad is smart enough to guess that the next 'Sleepover' is the final concert, so he's grounding me until sunday."

"oh no..." Katara murmured.

Toph cracked a weak smile. "Don't worry about it. We'll find a way. This band has become very important to me, and I'm not going to let my parents screw this up. We'll talk to Aang at lunch about it, He'll have an idea..."

* * *

"I have no idea."

Everyone heaved a sigh at once at hearing that Aang had no idea how to handle the situation with Toph's parents.

"I was up all last night thinking about it, but I can't think of any way to get them to budge."

They sat in silence, each one thinking about some way to remedy their problem.

"Perhaps...we can't do this on our own." Zuko finally said. "Maybe we need some more...authorative help."

Sokka raised his head. "You mean..."

"...Parental intervention."

* * *

"So, you kids want me to convince your friends parents to let her practice to play in a concert, possibly start a music career, and launch their daughter into a potentially dangerous lifestyle?"

The gang decided to ask Zuko's Stepfather, Iroh, for help on the matter with Toph. "Yes, thats exactly it, Mr. Iroh."

"Please, Aang, how long have you known me? Call me Iroh."

"Well, yes, we do need some help in convincing Toph's parents."

Iroh sipped some of his favorite tea, and breathed out heavily. "Normally, I would tell you kids to use your own cunning to resolve a conflict such as this. But since you're short of time, I'll lend a hand directly."

* * *

"Yes, can I help you?"

Iroh stood at the front of the crowd of kids, smiling like some crazed ape. They were standing on Toph's front porch, looking at a very stern Mr. Fong. "Hello, Mr. Fong. My name is Iroh. My stepson Zuko is a friend of your daughter. Would you permit my Stepson and his friends to speak with your daughter?"

Luckily for the kids, Iroh possessed an aura of charm that could make even the hardest of men waver. "Well, I suppose so..."

The gang filed in, and Mr. Fong closet the door behind them. "Toph, you have some visitors!" he called into the next room.

Toph walked in, already aware of who their visitors were. "Hey guys."

After everyone exchanged pleasantries, Iroh turned to Toph's father. "I'm afraid the we have come to discuss a particularly important subject: your daughters involvement in my stepson's band project.

Mr. Fong's face immediately hardened. "I've already spoke extensively with Toph on this subject. She will not be involved in this...band."

"I ask that you pardon my bluntness, but _why_ will you not let your daughter play?"

The simplicity of the question seemed to catch Mr. Fong off guard. "Well, obviously it is too dangerous in such an industry for my daughter."

"Um, sorry to butt in here, but Toph is one of the strongest people I know." Sokka interjected. "She beats _me_ up all the time."

"Well, regardless of her physical ability, my daughter is blind. It is far beyond her abilities to be involved."

"You mean to tell me that just because she's blind, she can't play an instrument? I dont recall blindness stopping Ray Charles from becoming one of the greatest pianists the world has ever known." Zuko said evenly.

"Well...her studies-"

"If you're worried about Toph's grades, you need to take another look at her. She's a sophomore, and only 13 years old. She's been keeping _me_ form letting my grades slip."

"But-"

"And not to mention that she's one of the greatest drummers I've ever heard!" Aang exclaimed, flailing his arms in the air. "You're the facilities manager of Red Rocks Amphitheatre, you should know that your daughter can drum the pants off of anybody who has played there!"

"..."

"Dad..." Toph spoke softly. "I love playing the drums. And I love playing in this band with my friends. I've never wanted anything else more in my life than to play in this band...with my friends."

Mr. Fong stood, defeated, for a moment before heaving a sigh and smiling softly. "Well, it seems that logic prevails over pride." He knelt down in front of Toph and placed a hand on her head. "I Knew I couldn't protect you forever, Toph. You've grown up so much..."

He stood, and faced each of the members of Avatar in turn as he spoke. "I will allow Toph to play in this band, so long as you all take care of her. I can tell that this is important to her, so I hope that each of you consider it just as important."

The group each smiled brightly at Mr. Fong. It was a moment before Iroh interjected. "Well, now that that is taken care of, do you have any jasmine tea?"

* * *

Leaving Toph's house, Aang turned to Iroh and grinned. "You knew that we were going to convince him, didn't you?"

"Aang, I've known you for a long time. With time, you could have convinced that man, of that I am sure. But it helps sometimes to have an adult to get the other man to think seriously."

"What would we have done without you?" Sokka said emphatically.

"Probably...you would have sulked in your garage until your small friend in there beat her father into agreement."

Everyone laughed at that, and piled into the two cars. Aang, Katara, and Sokka piled into Appa, and Zuko and Iroh into Zuko's Jeep. They headed home...

* * *

When they arrived, Aang, Katara and Sokka bid Zuko and Iroh goodnight, promising that they would begin practicing tomorrow. Sokka went inside, but Katara lingered in the yard for a moment with Aang.

"So Toph is really that good at the drums?"

Aang laughed. Katara was referring to his argument from earlier. "I wouldn't lie on matters concerning music." He said with his trademark grin. "So, we'll be starting practice tomorrow, you had better rest up those pipes of yours!"

Katara giggled and wrapped her arms around Aangs shoulders. "yeah, and don't you go playing into all hours of the night either! We can't have your hands cramping up from overuse during the concert!"

The two melted into a lingering kiss, bid each other good night, and walked into their respective houses.

Neither of them noticed that someone had been watching their exchange from th second story of Katara's house...

* * *

OOOH CLIFFHANGER! R&R Please! 


	16. The start of it

So, here you go guys. As i promised, heres a little christmas present for all my readers!

* * *

Chapter 16

On Tuesday morning, Katara and Sokka were preparing for school as usual. Katara was just fastening her jeans when Sokka opened the door wearing a blank expression.

"I'm driving to school today."

"I thought we were getting a ride with Aang so we would have time to figure out which song we were going to do."

"Change of plans."

Sokka exited the room and closed the door, leaving a very confused Katara staring at the space that he had occupied.

"Brothers…"

* * *

Aang was sitting at his desk with a pencil in his mouth, the titles of about twenty songs were scribbled on a piece of paper in front of them, and about twenty had been scribbled out.

"Aang."

He looked up into Zuko's face. "Hey dude."

"Sokka wants to talk to you."

Aang craned his neck over Zuko's shoulder and spotted Sokka leaning on the doorframe. He jerked his thump out into the hallway and exited the classroom.

Aang stood up, "See if you can come up with any songs for Saturday." He strode over to the doorway and spotted Sokka standing by a row of lockers.

"Hey bud, whats-"

Sokka grabbed Aang's collar and spun him around, pinning him to the lockers.

"What the hell are you doing with my sister!?" Sokka whispered through clenched teeth. "I saw you two kissing last night!"

Aang kept his face calm and placed his hands on Sokka's fists. "Yes, we were. At the homecoming game, I kissed Katara, and since last Monday, we've been dating."

Sokka was so shocked at Aang's straightforward confession that he dropped his hands. Aang placed his own hands on Sokka's shoulders.

"I was worried about having to tell you, and I avoided it because of your reaction to what I told you happened at the restaurant before the game."

Sokka rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You mean that jerk who tried to mess with Katara…that Jet guy?"

"Yeah, I was afraid that you'd get angry at me like you did at that guy."

Sokka sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, yeah…I remember what I said about that." He sighed again and looked up at Aang. "I'm not happy that you kept it from me, but…well, she could have done worse than you."

Aang sighed in relief. "So we're cool?"

Sokka smirked and shook Aang's hand. "Yeah…but if you do anything to hurt her…"

"I'd never dream of it!" Aang said sincerely.

"Okay, but I don't want you guys to start making out in front of me, got it?"

Aang just laughed and guided Sokka back into the classroom as the bell rang.

* * *

"So, I assume Sokka knows now?"

The gang was sitting in Zuko's garage, setting up for practice after school. Aang and Katara had just arrived hand in hand.

"He does?" Katara asked Aang.

"Yeah, he kind of…assaulted me before class this morning. I guess he saw us kiss last night…"

Zuko and Toph glanced toward each other, then burst out laughing.

"Oh man, you guys are a riot!"

"Even Sokka would know better than to start making out in the open like that, twinkle toes!"

As the two continued laughing, Sokka walked up the driveway with his guitar in tow. He sighed upon seeing Aang and Katara holding hands. "That's gonna take some getting used to…"

Everyone greeted Sokka and set about plugging in. when they were all set up, everyone turned to Aang.

"So, what are we playing?"

"Well, I've been thinking about it all day, and one song that I think we could adapt really well is 'The Start Of It by Meese'."

"Didn't they just get signed recently?" Zuko asked.

"Yep. I went to a few of their concerts while they were still local. I love their song, so…I dunno, what do you think?"

Toph spoke up first. "I haven't heard it, but I'll take your word that its good."

"Okay with me, bud." Zuko said with a smirk.

"Good here." Sokka agreed.

"Great choice, Aang." Katara said admiringly.

"Okay, let me go grab the CD, and we'll get started!"

* * *

"Everyone got it?"

The gang nodded and Toph began tapping in. Katara started with Sokka's distorted guitar playing in the background.

_Is this the start of it?  
Has this become a part of it?  
Maybe we should've slowed down  
it was the taste of it  
and this is how we wasted it  
maybe we'll get it back somehow _

it made me furious  
you said that if we bury this  
never could dig up the past  
I couldn't handle it  
I thought I could dismantle it  
maybe some things weren't meant to last

kids of the frozen front range  
carry the message if I fall  
tell them we're moving on  
sorting out who our enemies are

I've seen it, you say I don't believe it  
it's either or...

tell me it's over or everything you hoped for  
tell me either way, I know you know i never let this go

you've got the upper hand  
wrapped tight around my neck again  
and I can't get the words out  
if you were listening  
you'd hear the voice or reasoning  
telling you walk away from this somehow

kids of the frozen front range  
carry the message if I fall  
tell them we're moving on  
sorting out who our enemies are

I need this, you can't deny you feel it  
it's either or...

tell me its over or everything you hoped for  
tell me either way, I know you know I never let this...  
tell me its over or everything you hoped for  
tell me either way, I know you know I never let this go

O.K. In the first degree  
there's nothing wrong with me… 

_O.K. In the first degree  
there's nothing wrong with me…_

_O.K. In the first degree  
there's nothing wrong with me…_

_O.K. In the first degree  
there's nothing wrong with me…_

_Tell me it's over or everything you hoped for  
tell me either way, I know you know i never let this…_

_Tell me it's over or everything you hoped for  
tell me either way, I know you know i never let this go_

_O.K. In the first degree  
there's nothing wrong with me…_

_O.K. In the first degree  
there's nothing wrong with…_

Sokka played the last of the outro and faded to black. "Wow, that's a hard riff to keep up."

"Well, since we don't have a keyboard, we needed one of us to play the rhythm where Meese has a pianist." Katara said matter-of-factly.

"Still, I think that's one of the best adaptations we've ever done!" Aang gushed.

They practiced the song a few times after that, then quit for the day. Everyone was too tired to hang out, so Zuko took Toph home and after s quick kiss, Aang and Katara parted.

Meanwhile, in a downtown hotel, Ozai was brooding over the events of the previous Saturday. To restore his honor, he had to enact revenge on his son. A dark plan was forming inside his mind, the teenagers wouldn't know what hit them.

* * *

I know, not much really happened in this chapter, but we're reaching the climax, and i want this story to be in top form when that happens. Ciao! R&R! Merry Christmas!


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